GCPP assures members *As Kufuor, PNC mourn its leader

AS the nation mourns the Founder and Leader of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), Mr Dan Lartey, the Executive Committee of the party has assured the party members, followers and sympathisers that the philosophy and ideals of the party still stand.
In a statement signed by the National Chairman of the GCPP, Mr John Thompsom in Accra, it stated that philosophy and ideals of the party established by the late Mr Lartey “will continue to guide the party in its quest to win the 2012 election”.
The statement advised members of the party to be steadfast and calm as the leadership made arrangements to announce the programme of activities and dates for the regional conferences.
In a related developmet, Former President John Agyekum Kufuor on Tuesday consoled the family and friends of the late Mr Lartey describing him as "one of the political stalwarts of our time".
A message released in Accra and carried by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) read: "I have learnt with shock the passing away of Mr Daniel Augustus Lartey, Founder and Leader of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP).
"Mr Lartey, or 'Mr Domestication', as he is popularly called, has paid his dues as one of the political stalwarts of our time”.
The statement continued that a man of great conviction, Mr Lartey stood by his ideals and defended what he believed in staunchly.
"The fervour and dynamism he brought to the national political plate at his advanced age were amazing, even to his adversaries.
"As a veteran politician, Mr Lartey had his fair share of the political vicissitudes of this country but he never gave up in his quest to see Ghana shaped in the mould of the vision that he had for it.
"Alas, death has robbed him of achieving that goal. As we mourn the loss of this great son of Ghana, it behoves on those who share in his dream to sustain it and grow the party he founded as memorial to his great works."
The People’s National Convention (PNC) also expressed shock at the death of “Comrade’ Dan Augustus Lartey.
“Comrade has in his life contributed enormously, not only for his family and himself but to the economic and democratic dispensation of the country he so loved,” it said.
A statement signed by the General Secretary of the PNC, Mr Bernard Anbataayela Mornah, said Mr Lartey’s concept of ‘domestication’ added to the economic nomenclature and it had become a household word.
“Many, and for that matter all those who believe that the way of our economic salvation rested on the shoulders of our own resources, see his domestication idea as a policy well grounded. This concept was to ensure that Ghanaians patronised made-in-Ghana produce.
“The Ghanaian business should be provided the needed impetus to grow. This way, we will provide opportunity for employment thus increase levels of income and become food sufficient, thereby reducing the huge import bill of our nation”, it added.
The statement said Uncle Dan’s contribution to national discourse and development had been legendary and exemplary.
It said in politics, he added colour to the multiparty democratic experiment, especially in 2000, when he acted in concert with other citizens to foster political change by standing firm in his opposition to policies and acts that were inimical to national cohesion.
It said Uncle Dan joined forces with other political leaders to oppose the setting up of a procurement authority for the Electoral Commission (EC) and the passage of the Representation of the People’s Amendment Act (ROPAA).
The statement said in 2008, when elections entered a runoff, Uncle Dan and his party, the GCPP, took a brave decision by opting for ‘Change’.
“The PNC send our sympathies to the Lartey Family, the GCPP in the hope that they would be fortified to continue from where Uncle Dan left. We are convinced that the greatest tribute for Dan Lartey will be a continuation of the things he stood for”.
The statement also said for his contribution to the nation, it was the hope of the PNC that the government would accord this statesman the honour he deserved.
Family sources said Mr Lartey passed away on Monday evening in Accra.