Leading New Patriotic Party (NPP) figure in the Nandom Constituency, Lawyer Sylvester Isang, has opened up about his political journey from being a committed National Democratic Congress (NDC) activist to becoming one of the NPP’s most prominent members in the constituency.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, the Tamale-based private legal practitioner said his decision to leave the NDC was not an impulsive one but the result of years of reflection on governance, leadership and his desire to contribute meaningfully to the development of Nandom.
Lawyer Isang disclosed that his political life began while he was a student at Nandom Secondary School in 1994 after his mother returned from Lawra with an NDC membership card and encouraged him to join the party.
He said his conviction at the time was shaped largely by the widespread perception that the NDC represented ordinary people, while the NPP was often portrayed as a party for the privileged.
“I genuinely believed in the ideals of the NDC and remained active throughout my days at Nandom Secondary School, Tamale Training College and later at the University of Ghana,” he said.
According to him, his political outlook gradually began to change after observing developments within the party and the country’s political landscape.
He said concerns publicly raised by former President Jerry John Rawlings himself about indiscipline and the direction of the NDC prompted him to reassess his own political convictions.
At the same time, he said he began to appreciate several social intervention programmes introduced under President John Agyekum Kufuor’s administration, including the Metro Mass Transit system, the School Feeding Programme and free maternal healthcare.
“Those policies made me begin to look at governance differently. I realised that political parties should ultimately be judged by what they do for the people,” he explained.
Lawyer Isang said another major influence on his thinking was former Nandom Member of Parliament Ambrose Dery, whose commitment to the development of the constituency impressed him.
He said Mr Dery’s accessibility and willingness to support the people of Nandom convinced him that he could work with him to advance the constituency’s development.
His eventual decision to join the NPP, he stressed, was therefore based on conviction rather than personal benefit.
“I believed I could contribute more effectively to the development of my people through the NPP. My decision was never about seeking personal advantage,” he stated.
Lawyer Isang recalled that after returning from postgraduate studies in the United Kingdom, he sought assistance from some former colleagues in the NDC but found it difficult to access many of them.
He, however, acknowledged that the late Dr Edward Omane Boamah received him warmly and accepted his curriculum vitae when he sought assistance to return to the Ghana Education Service.
Looking back, Lawyer Isang said he bears no bitterness towards his former party, insisting that politics should always be about service to the people rather than blind loyalty to political organisations.
“My interest has always been how I can contribute to the development of Nandom. That remains my guiding principle irrespective of political affiliation,” he added.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
