The chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, on Monday launched the party’s electronic payment system and computerised membership identification card at the Obra Spot, Accra. Addressing party members who had assembled at the spot, the NPP chairman said the electronic payment system was a new way of paying dues by members, which would also give party sympathisers an opportunity to contribute to the fund raising efforts of the party. “We would harness technology to make this possible,” he told the many NPP supporters sporting the party colours assembled at the spot. The system, which will operate in different categories, requires card-bearing members of the party to text NPP, and their party ID card number to the following networks and their corresponding short codes: Airtel- 2012, Expresso- 2012, Tigo- 2012, Vodafone- + 2012, and MTN- +1 2012. Non-card bearing members, he said, could also text to the above-mentioned short codes by sending NPP and their name to the codes, adding that those who would want to contribute more than GH¢1.00 could do so through the same networks. According to him, party members and the general public could text as many times as they wanted to contribute to the building and deepening of democracy in the party. Jake named some of the achievements of the political grouping such as the expanded Electoral College through which some 150,000 members chose presidential and parliamentary candidates. He announced that the party was exploring the possibility of enabling all card-bearing members to partake in the choice of presidential candidates through technology. The party, he said, needed money to run its campaign and that the payment system was open not only to party members but others who sought a change that would enable the NPP to bring prosperity to the country. Earlier, party scribe Kwadwo Afriyie, aka Sir John, and first vice chairman Fred Oware had explained the importance of the system and encouraged the supporters to support it. He reiterated that the national executives, after the formal launching, would move to the other regions to do similar launching so as to get the message direct to everyone. Curtis Perry K. Okudzeto, a deputy director of Communications, NPP, in an interview with Daily Guide after the launching, noted that there was a special system to ensure that all the contributions gained are used judiciously. Fred Oware dismissed claims that the party was broke, adding that the system would encourage all grassroots members of the party to take active role in the programmes of the party. The launching was attended by national and regional executives as well as functionaries, members and sympathisers of the party.