The Patriotic Citizen Group – Unofficial NPP Think Tank

This article seeks to introduce The Patriotic Citizen platform, a voluntary Group, established in July 2015 to champion the course and ambitions of the NPP in the 2016 elections.

It offered a medium for ordinary NPP sympathisers and affiliates to rub shoulders with some of the party’s bigwigs and with each other. Every group member, unofficially, became part of the decision making process at all levels of the party.

Now that our beloved country is running on the wheels of the NPP, the platform is looking beyond the horizon and has an aspiration to become an unofficial think tank with the sole aim of furthering and promoting the party’s agenda. The Group is open for real business.

Background History

The Patriotic Citizen group was formed on Thursday, 30th July 2015 in the United Kingdom with twenty members. Membership has since grown exponentially to eighty-four and comprises NPP sympathisers that cut across the entire party from grass root supporters through to functionaries, including some executives and prominent operators within the party. Although majority of the members reside in Ghana, a significant proportion is in the diaspora communities and spread across several countries and even continents.

The underlying regulations which the group affectionately calls the "Dos and Don'ts" policy, has helped to maintain the level of discipline needed to protect the strategic objectives. Mr Oppong Kyekyeku Kantinka, the moderator of the group, vehemently defends the “Dos and Don’ts” without fear or favour and thereby keeps The Patriotic Citizen a cut above all the WhatsApps groups.

Aims and Objectives

The principal objectives of the group was the engagement with the Ghanaian electorate and championing the party's quest to win the 2016 elections. The pre-elections core objectives of The Patriotic Citizen centred on the following: 

·         Discuss, interpret and share ideas on the Party's manifesto commitments to members;

·         Liaise with party communication directorate / headquarters to discuss emerging campaign issues identified by members on the ground;

·         Open up to all levels of the party to encourage more members to join; and

·         Raise specific topics and encourage members with expert knowledge to advise on the most appropriate alternatives and directions.

Achievements

Within the relatively short period of its formation, the group successfully achieved its principal objectives through the hard work and dedication of the members and their unflinching belief in the NPP’s project to win the elections. Outlined below are a few of the group's achievements.

·         Membership grew from a modest number of twenty to eighty-four under one year;

·         Discussed emerging issues in marginal and difficult constituencies;

·         Campaigned and shared strategic advice with party members on the ground;

·         Kept abreast of the national campaign and helped interpret and/or clarify manifesto details to suit local expectations for the benefit of the relevant party functionaries.

·         Went beyond the social media façade and successfully held an official meeting in London on Saturday, 18th February 2017.

Moving the Group Further

The group will continue to operate as the “patriotic citizen” to promote the objectives and agenda of the ruling NPP government. It will seek clarification, where necessary from the “horses’ own mouths”, and raise debating topics on matters of national interest for discussion within the membership. With the array of talents on board, the group has an aspiration to become the unofficial Think Tank of the party.

Source: Collins Oppong-Kyekyeku Kantinka