Accra, June 10, GNA - The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Tuesday marked its 16th anniversary with a pledge that the Party would take Ghana to new heights.

"As the December 2008 elections approach, the NDC, under Professor John Evans Atta Mills, is preparing to resume the reins of government and to take Ghana to new heights," the Party said in a statement signed by Dr Hanna S. Tetteh, NDC Director of Communications.

It said the NDC was ready to solve decisively the energy crisis and to ensure that the benefits that Ghana could obtain from the blessing of having significant production of oil and gas in the future would be fairly distributed and not coveted by a few.

"The NDC is determined to bring to an end the shame of massive cocaine trafficking, which has destroyed the image of the country internationally and threatens the future of many of our youth and even some older people."

The statement said the NDC would be investing in people, jobs and the economy.

"There is work to be done for our country and the NDC, under Professor Mills, is ready for the task ahead. We take the opportunity of this celebration to extend our best wishes to the good people of Ghana and to assure them that, 'a better Ghana' is in sight".

The NDC said in this election year it was firmly committed to ensuring that it played its part in safeguarding the democratic process, and would use all legal and legitimate means at its disposal to make sure that the electoral process was credible, free, fair and transparent and that the will of the Ghanaian people would prevail.

The statement said it was worth recalling that the NDC brought together people from different traditions in Ghana's political history - the Nkrumaist tradition, people from the Danquah-Busia tradition, people from the United National Convention (UNC), and independents.

All these were committed to ensuring that the political and economic recovery that Ghana had achieved under the Government of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) was sustained under the new democratic Constitution that the PNDC bequeathed to the country.

"From the onset, the NDC was a social democratic party with a focus on the welfare of Ghanaians as a whole and not on the wealthy and privileged few.

"The NDC ensured the deepening of the democratic process in Ghana. The Party, when in Government, was responsible for establishing key institutions that were essential under the new Constitution for the development of our democracy, including the District Assemblies, the National Commission for Civic Education, the Electoral Commission, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice."

Following the December 2000 elections, President Jerry John Rawlings peacefully handed over to President Kufuor and an orderly transition process to the new government took place.

"This was the legacy of a Party that is: 'Always for People, Always for Development.'"

The statement said the NDC had continued to act as a responsible opposition to ensure probity and accountability as was amply demonstrated in the recent sittings of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament.

"As a result of the vigilance of the NDC, the country was saved from such disasters as the "IFC" loan, the "CNTCI" loan etc," it said. "We wish to thank the people of Ghana for their support of the National Democratic Congress through the years, and assure them that we will work with them to create a better Ghana that will cater for the well-being of all its citizens, not only today but for generations to come."