He said that required members of the party to place loyalty above personal ambitions.

He expressed concern about the worrying trend where members of the party saw the NDC as a platform for personal advancement instead of a commitment to national transformation.

Anniversary

Mr Kwetey stated this at a ceremony to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the party in Accra last Tuesday.

The event witnessed the cutting of an anniversary cake, hoisting of the Ghana, revolutionary and NDC flags, as well as the laying of wreaths for the founder, Jerry John Rawlings, cadres and fallen heroes and the country.

Mr Kwetey said the first loyalty must always be to the party.

“Whenever we say individuals come, individuals go, it applies to everyone. Even leaders of our party will come and go, but the party remains.

“Flag bearers will come and go, but the party remains. President, vice-presidents will come and go, but the party remains and that must always be our number one loyalty,” he emphasised.

The General Secretary said the party could not be turned into a place where individuals felt they owed allegiances to individuals and not to the party.

Legacy

Mr Kwetey was critical of those he referred to as “convenience members” who aligned with the party only when it served their interests, stressing that such people lacked commitment to the party.

“Our greatest legacy should be the transformation we bring to Ghanaians. It should be about compassionate leadership and liberation, not personal enrichment,” he said.

He, therefore, called for a renewed commitment from all members towards building a stronger country.

He said party members must ensure that their commitment to the party remained the same, whether it was in or out of power.

Reality

Mr Kwetey explained that the only reason some of them were in the party was because they saw the party as a “vehicle” that could win elections for them.

What that meant, he said, was that there were some people in the party who had become convenient members and “some of these convenient members of our party even have the audacity to want to aspire for the leadership of this great party”.

He, therefore, urged party members to understand what the party was all about and stand by those values.

“Whether in power or out of power, the commitment to this great party must remain the same, because this party represents a true hope for the people of Ghana.

Kwame Nkrumah, the first great leader and the founder of our country, was a special vehicle and we as a country must be blessed to have him.

“So the nation must always lead, but the party must be the vehicle to enable the nation to reach where it ought to go,” he said.