The political support of Ghanaian voters in Southeast has a price tag – Parool.nl

22-03-15 10:32 pm – Source: Het Parool

Ghanaian service in church-tenant Candlestick on Bijlmerdreef © Amaury Miller

The Labour Party in Southeast can not do without the Ghanaian vote. But there is a price tag on the political support.

rattles the organization, but gets extra money

He was this week conspicuously present in the meeting of the governing committee in Southeast, top official Eddy Adusei. Not with a file in hand to get his drivers whispered aside when deciding on Promising, but between people in the public gallery who were armed with banners to the district office directed to encourage the board committee to allocate additional money for the official organization for poverty reduction, which was under his leadership until recently.

That unprecedented scope for official signs the influence of Adusei, described by several former members of the Labour Party as the spider in the web. Adusei is the outpost of the well organized Ghanaian community in the Southeast. He is the man who ensures that during important meetings of the Labour Party sufficient Ghanaian members are present to guide the decision-making in the desired direction. That could be any direction as long as the Ghanaian community there profited by.

Adusei was also there when the Labour Party in 2002, sought rapprochement with the growing Ghanaian community in the district. A delegation with local administrators and Hannah Belliot Elvira Sweet and party toppers Tineke Netelenbos, Judith Belinfante and Rob Oudkerk came to the church-tenant the New Town to be feted by hundreds of members of the Ghanaian Pentecostal churches. The meeting ended with a promise of Pastor Emmanuel Baidoo: “If the Labour Party supports us all Ghanaians to vote Labour.”

Commitment
That commitment was honored in later years. In 2006 included the Ghanaian candidates Ernest Owusu Sekyere, Ama Carr and Augustina Osei the main leaders of the Labour Party votes.

The party also took good care of her constituents. In 2007, the opening of the new church-tenant Candlestick put an end to the church in car parks and sports venues and the district administration paid a cultural festival, Dance with the kings, which even thirteen kings of Ghana were flown. Adusei traveled to Ghana to contribute in Sunyani on behalf of Southeast sister the keys of a new ambulance over.

Rumors
In the same period, director Jude Kehla Wirnkar the initiative for the creation of second route, an organization through intensive house-to-house visits people in poverty wanted to identify, support and activate. Wonderful of course, but the rumors grew that Kansrijk was also an instrument to serve the African supporters. With a budget of over one million per year and an increasing range of activities the organization could not only help people but also bind themselves through services, favors and jobs.

After the departure of Elvira Sweet Kehla did in 2010 with the help of votes regulator Adusei a bid for absolute power in the form of the district presidency. During a sweltering meeting – in fact many Africans in the audience – he won the first round, but he put it in the second and decisive round against Marcel La Rose.

Rattling organization
Kehla was disappointed, especially when there was no place for him then turned out to be the new executive committee. Promising continued, with Adusei as a manager at the helm. That rattled the organization – the latest annual report dates from 2012 – the last year for the Board no reason to intervene. When partners Rochdale and Ymere dropped out, was eagerly sought new projects and activities in the district to keep the organization afloat.

In this sense it is not surprising that the board committee this week in large majority agreed to a bailout for Kansrijk, to the relief of the supporters in the public gallery. Successful or not, promising is a structure where all parties benefit from

(By: Patrick Meershoek).