Regional News of Monday, 8 December 2003

Source: Chronicle

Leave NDC alone - NPP Executives told

The Western Regional Organizer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Yaw Djan has called on the NPP executives in the region to leave the NDC alone and mind their own business.

He said information reaching the Regional Secretariat of the party in Sekondi, indicated that some regional executive members of the NPP and their party supporters have been moving from one constituency to the other, lying to the people that NDC was finding it very difficult to get candidates to contest the parliamentary seats in the region.

Yaw Djan, who together with the Regional Secretary of the party, Mr. J.K.Ahenkora came to The Chronicle office to react to the allegations, said there was no iota of truth in the allegation being made against their party in the region by the NPP executives since they had men and women who were prepared to contest the parliamentary seats on the ticket of the party in the region.

He said even the Takoradi constituency, which could somehow be described as an NPP stronghold, has three eminent people contesting the primaries to become the parliamentary candidate on the ticket of the party.

The Regional Organizer further said the fact that they in the NDC were not making any noise as their opponents were doing, did not in any way mean they were finding it very difficult to get people to contest the various seats in the region on the ticket of the party.

“When the party finally starts the conduct of its primaries in the region, it is the public that would judge whether we have the men or not,’ he added.

Djan said they were aware that the NPP had been going round bragging that they had already won the elections but they would have a shock of their lives that, bragging alone did not win elections in this country. “We are not bragging or talking but we know what we are doing on the ground,’ he said.

The Regional Party Organizer also cautioned the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Kwadwo Adjei Darko to be circumspect when talking about somebody’s wife in public since the one staying in a glass house should not be seen throwing stones at others.

Hon. Kwadwo Darko was quoted recently by The Chronicle as saying that Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, the former first lady had been going round some leaders in the world, begging for money to treat her ailment. The report further quoted the Minister as saying that the former first lady had taken such an action to disgrace President Kufuor’s government as being insensitive about her alleged ailment.

Yaw Djan told The Chronicle that he knew Hon. Darko whom he had stayed with at Sunyani to be a very good gentleman but if he had allowed himself to be used to disgrace somebody’s wife in public, then he was reminding him that he who stays in a glass house should not be seen to throwing stones at others.

The Regional Organizer said he abhorred politics of insults and that he had never stood on any political platform to insult his political opponents. To him, politicians must tackle real issues at stake instead of insulting personalities.

According to him, the Senior Minister, Hon. J.H. Mensah is his direct uncle but despite been a leading member of the NDC, he would not take it kindly to any politician who would be caught to have insulted his uncle in the name of politics.

He noted that naturally, this is what every politician must do “because we only disagree on ideologies’.

Djan was therefore surprised that Hon Adjei Darko could go to the limit he went, granted that what he said about the former first lady was even true.

“If you will not be happy if somebody disgraces your wife in public, why should you also go and disgrace somebody’s wife in public?” Djan asked and repeated his earlier statement that he who stays in a glass house should not be seen throwing stones.