Social activist Michael Teye has called for a strong and effective national executive to strengthen party leadership and ensure better coordination between political parties and governments when they are in power.
Speaking on Plan B FM’s EBAANOSEN, hosted by Ohene Kinnah, Mr Teye said the composition and effectiveness of a party’s national executive must be carefully considered to prevent internal party structures from becoming a source of difficulty for a sitting president.
He said his concerns were informed by experiences from the administration of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, particularly questions surrounding the relationship between the presidency, the party chairman and other national executives.
According to Michael Teye, the position of party chairman is significant because of the resources, time and effort invested in building the party and campaigning across constituencies to secure electoral victory.
He therefore questioned why a party chairman or executive who had contributed to bringing a government to power would deliberately take actions that could undermine that administration.
Mr Teye stressed that party executives have clearly defined roles and responsibilities and argued that political parties with years of experience in government should have a better understanding of how to structure and manage their leadership.
He urged party members to focus on building a strong and functional executive structure rather than concentrating excessively on individual personalities.
The social activist also criticised what he described as the tendency to label some party executives as “useless,” arguing that such assessments should be based on their actual performance and the manner in which public resources are utilised.
He cited a situation involving a minister and an alleged expenditure of $25 million, which he contrasted with an alternative figure of $9 million, and questioned how such conduct should be evaluated in determining the effectiveness and accountability of public officials.
Mr Teye maintained that stronger internal structures, clear responsibilities and accountability would help political parties improve their leadership and strengthen their ability to support governments effectively.
By: Ernest Kumi
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