Sogakope, Sept 14, GNA - Dr Yao Obed Asamoah, Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has said that Ghanaians should blame themselves for the economic hardship they are experiencing. He said the high cost of living and the disintegration in social life would not have come about if Ghanaians had not thrown all cautions to the wind in 2000 not to elect the NPP, which is "deficient of ideas and the capacity to govern the country". Dr Asamoah was addressing a rally after a closed-door meeting of executives and functionaries of the party from the Ketu, Keta, Akatsi, North and South Tongu Districts in the Volta Region to iron out problems in the eight constituencies on Tuesday, at Sogakope.

Similar meetings and rallies are scheduled for Kpandu on Wednesday and Kadjebi on Thursday to plan strategies to kick-start the campaign in the region for election 2004. "The current level of hardship is the doing of Ghanaians who voted the NPP into power," he said Dr Asamoah said cost of living would continue to rise under the Government, which he said would increase the cost of fuel and utilities in January, 2005 should it win the election. "If you want to suffer again for another four years, then vote for the NPP again in the coming elections," Dr Asamoah said.

Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, National Organiser, said it would be a disaster for the country if NPP won the elections again, saying, "they woefully failed the country without any more ideas to test, with every aspect of national life including education and sports on the decline". He said having realized they failed, the NPP is relying on propaganda to exist and stressed the need for a change for a leadership with a vision to save the country. Ghanaians should vote for Professor Evans Atta Mills, the NDC presidential aspirant who he said had the vision to lead the country better as he did when he was Vice President. Mr Modestus Ahiable, MP for Ketu North and Volta Regional Chairman of the Party, accused the government of corruption and asked the people not to sell their conscience for money and to vote wisely.

Mr. Dan Abodakpi, MP for Keta, who described the NPP as a "Non-Performing Party", said the government was practicing "Property Democracy" in which the poor did not matter in the formulation of policy. Mr Ken Dzirasah, MP for South Tongu, said the cost infrastructure development had over-increased under the NPP, saying, "A six classroom block, which cost 68 million cedis under NDC, now cost 600 million cedis to construct".

Other national officials who attended the meeting included Hajia Lardi Ayamba, Deputy Women Organiser, Dr Farouk Braimah, Propaganda Secretary and Mr Kofi Aggrey, Deputy Organiser, Regional and Constituency executives, MPs and parliamentary aspirants.