General News of Monday, 9 May 2005

Source: GNA

Don't play on the ignorance of the people - NPP

Tamale, May 9, GNA - Mr Clifford Abdallah Braimah, Northern Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Monday, cautioned opponents of the party not to play on the intelligence and ignorance of some Ghanaians and paint a gloomy picture of the NPP.

He said the party was just four years and some few months in office and had worked tremendously to improve the lives of most Ghanaians, which was a worry to opponents, who were bent in denting the image of NPP for the sake of winning power.

Mr Braimah told the GNA in an interview in Tamale that the recent "Wahala" marches in Accra and other regions over the fuel increase was baseless "since all over the world fuel prices were ever going up and not coming down".

He said the party had done well and deserved praise and that it was only the opposition parties particularly the NDC that had never seen anything good in NPP, adding that, any attempt to discredit the party would fail.

He said there was no indication that the people were suffering, since fuel price was increased, after a cursory survey in shops and markets in the Tamale Metropolis, the consumption rate of fuel had not changed. He said the majority of the electorates were based in the rural areas and they act on hearsay and lies told to them by opponents of the NPP that, the NPP was not performing. This would gain credibility, if "We don't correct those lies".

Mr Braimah said there was now traffic congestion in some parts of the metropolis due to the sudden increases in the purchase of new vehicles and motorbikes by private individuals, which is an indication of improvement in their lives under the NPP.

"If the economy was harsh, where would people suddenly get money and buy cars and motorbikes?" he said, adding that, new shops had also been opened in the metropolis and urged Ghanaians not to allow any one to sway their minds through cheap politicking.

"The NDC was not going round putting money in private hands. NPP government too will not get money for private individuals but will create a congenial environment for businesses that will improve their lives", he said.

The Regional Secretary said the road to 2008 was not far and gave the assurance that the NPP government would work harder to further improve the lives of the people so as to retain the party and advised the electorate not to ever make a mistake of voting the NDC back to power.