Mr Martin Amidu, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, has called on the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to forge a strong relationship with regional ministers, district chief executives and party executives. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga, Mr Amidu said he had observed that the existence of weak linkages between some regional ministers, district chief executives and party executives. A situation he insisted was not good for the party. "The linkage between the constituency executives, some regional ministers and district chief executives that whip up enthusiasm for party work at the grassroots appears not to be strong. It appears people are waiting for election year", he said. The minister added that for a party in Government, every policy must be an election policy and must be sold every day. "We must carry the people along with us from the day of our victory at the elections to the next elections and not wait for an election year to convince them". Mr Amidu was in the region to thank the chiefs and people for giving the NDC the mandate to rule Ghana. He was unhappy that some regional party executives were engaged in building their own "property owning democracies" to the neglect of finding resources for party work in general. He also indicated his disappointment that some constituency executives felt left out in the consultative process at the regional level. "Regional executives need to build trust and confidence with constituency executives and constituency executives need to build trust and confidence with lower structures for grassroots mobilization," he reasoned. The minister stated that the region was lucky to have an experienced Regional Secretary who must be utilized fully by the executives and the regional Minister. "The relationship should be more horizontal than vertical as it appears now that we are in Government. People who used to sit down and eat together from the same bowel when we were in opposition have now built artificial barriers between them because we are now in power. This is not a winning social interaction". He called on the executive to continue keeping its links with ordinary workers, farmers, market women, traders, and the marginalized in society. "We cannot be social democrats without this power base,” Mr Amidu said, adding “The middle class of managers and workers are a group that easily understands the egalitarian ideas of social democracy and is very willing to support us when we demonstrate through exemplary leadership that social democracy is not just an election winning slogan but an integral part of the lives of the leadership of the party". He entreated people in the three northern regions to continue to keep faith with the NDC because it was the only remaining political tradition that had the north at heart in terms of development. Source: GNA