Politics of Sunday, 31 October 2004

Source: GNA

Mills has promised Ghanaians real development - Alabi

Accra, Oct. 31, GNA - Professor John Evans Atta Mills, Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) through humility and self-respect has promised Ghanaians real development.

Mr Joshua Alabi, Greater Accra Regional Chairman of NDC, who was speaking at the La Dadekopon Constituency maiden rally on Sunday, said Prof Mills was without blemish and had nothing to answer to Ghanaians. He said the judgment as to who among the presidential candidates really had what it would take to transform the destiny of this nation rested with Ghanaians.

Interspersing his speech with victory songs, amidst chanting of NDC slogans, Mr Alabi told the supporters to demonstrate their current alertness by voting the New Patriotic Party (NPP) out for telling them lies.

He said the current national debt stood at 80 trillion cedis, so Ghanaians should make the comparative analysis and judged for themselves which of the two governments had performed better.

"If the NPP said we left a debt of 41 trillion cedis having been in Government for almost 20 years, then what about them who have generated additional 39 trillion cedis debt in less than four years." Mrs Naadu Mills, Wife of Prof. Mills, said the NDC would indeed get back to the Castle to continue its unfinished good works to bring hope to Ghanaians.

She said: "I can assure you that Prof. Mills is a good man, who has the nation at heart. I have lived with him and I know what he is capable of doing for this country and even those he had taught and trained would testify to this".

Mrs Mills said one found it difficult to understand why a sitting President who moved about with several "posh cars, and motorcades daily and yet claim that the nation is HIPC.

"What kind of HIPC President will do that? Think about it," she told the supporters that when Prof. Mills was the Vice President of this country "he was not coming home with dispatch riders".

When the NDC Parliamentary Candidate for Dadekotopon, Nii Amasah Namoale was formally introduced, there were shouts and cheers that the Constituency was not going to have just a candidate but a voice that could not be intimidated in Parliament, but remain a mouth piece for the people.

Nii Namoale touched on what he termed the inconsistencies towards the fulfilment of NPP promises when it assumed the seat of government and said as a result they had not been able to achieve anything meaningful yet, but they had continued to throw dust into the eyes of the people. On development in La, Nii Namoale deplored the rampant arrest of drivers by the Police saying: "Today the main occupation in La has become driving, and one cannot talk of the harassment and arrest of drivers by the Police.

"A driver is not a criminal to be put in prison, but today go to Nsawam Prison, most of the drivers there are from La," he said. He promised to make education a key focus in La through generating keen competition among the schools and also instituting awards for the best teacher and school annually.