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Ghana: As Election 2008 Jaw-Jaw Gathers Steam, NPP Tells NDC
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Accra Mail (Accra)
14 May 2008
Posted to the web 14 May 2008
Kofi Agyepong and Cephas Larbi
Accra
The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has cast doubt on the National Democratic Congress's (NDC) attempt to give itself a new image.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra yesterday, the Chairman of NPP, Mr. Peter Mac Manu said what the NDC has changed is its colour, slogans, and songs.
"Beyond these cosmetic changes", he said "there was nothing new". Mr. Mac Manu compared the NDC to "Akpeteshie" in a recycled bottle. "As for NDC people, Yenim mo dadaada! It's the same old NDC", he said.
Even while touting the new image, Mr. Mac Manu said, the NDC was still defending all their old policies, with the same old leadership roll call that has been rejected since December 2000.
"There is nothing new about the persons who are talking of change The NDC presidential candidate has come before the Ghanaian electorate on three previous occasions and was rejected three times Before that he was vice president to the ex-president Rawlings. He was head of the National Economic Management Team and the people of Ghana witnessed his helplessness as the country's economy suffered disastrous free fall", Mac Manu said.
The Chairman of the NDC, Mr. Mac Manu said, "was a Minister of State, leading the party in parliament ...The General Secretary of the NDC also served in the NDC government, as Deputy Minister for Agriculture . NDC vice presidential candidate John Dramani Mahama was not only a cabinet minister, but, instructively, he was also an active member of the National Economic Management Team and Ghanaians witnessed the mediocrity of leadership under Prof. Mills, which collapsed the Ghanaian economy then, leaving the country with no choice but to formally declare itself as a highly indebted poor country, with our national debt almost twice the size of the national economy. Today our external debt is only a quarter of national economy that has grown about four times in dollar terms, alone."
The NPP National Chairman said the NDC remains committed to Article 6 of their constitution, which acknowledges that the NDC was founded on the ideas and principles of Rawlings.
He challenged the NDC to tell Ghanaians which of their policies they have renounced. "Let us find out which of their old leaders they have rejected as well as which of their old attitudes they have changed", he queried. Mr. Mac Manu disclosed that the NPP is aware of moves being made by the NDC to revive the infamous cadres of the PNDC era.
"Let us hope it is not sinister. Ghanaians cannot forget the period under the PNDC when the regime's understanding of participatory democracy was to get the cadres to intimidate people to toe a particular line decreed by the military junta", he said.
On NDC's statement that track records should not be compared, Mr. Mac Manu said he could not understand why track records of those who have held high office in this country before and those who are seeking the people's mandate to return to government are not relevant for the consideration of the Ghanaian people.
"What then should be the criteria", he asked, adding "Empty words or concrete deeds?" The NPP National Chairman said as presidential candidates roll out their promises, voters will definitely compare to decide which of them is best prepared to deliver. He said voters would not allow the NDC to hide the mediocrity of their record in office behind a recipe of excuses.
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"We believe the honest answer is that the NDC has carefully considered the records and concluded that such a comparison would be unflattering to their party because the NPP has by far the superior record in "We believe Nana Akufo-Addo, the people's man will be adjudged by the majority of Ghanaian voters as the best prepared man for the challenges ahead", he said. Mr. Mac Manu was flanked by Chairman of the NPP 2008 campaign team, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, who is the Director of campaign, General Secretary, Nana Ohene Ntow and host of other NPP members during the press conference.
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