Politics of Monday, 19 November 2007

Source: The Daily Dispatch

NDC Will Lose If -Kennedy Agyapong

New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, Mr. Ken Ohene Agyapong, says if the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) intends to base its campaign message on corruption and hardship in the 2008 elections, then another electoral defeat will befall it. According to him, Ghanaians have tested both parties and know very well that the former regime was more corrupt than the current administration and will therefore not give power to NDC to rule the nation.

"I don't think using corruption and hardships as their campaign message will fly because Ghanaians are discerning enough and know that between the NDC and the NPP, the NDC was more corrupt than the NPP because the NPP has done well in terms of development in this country," he told The Daily Dispatch ill an exclusive interview at the Parliament House. Mr. Ken Agyapong is optimistic that with the kind of development and improvement in the standard of living which the NPP has brought into the country, its chances of winning the 2008 elections are bright.

"Ghanaians are better off today than in the NDC time," he said. Asked whether the NPP has delivered more jobs for Ghanaians as they promised, the Assin North MP had this to say: “Jobs were not created during the NDC time. The rate of unemployment was so high to the extent that even the number of people we have employed now becomes insignificant because of the high rate we inherited. Comparatively, we have employed more youth under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) than the NDC's eight years in power:”

Touching on the way and manner the NPP aspirants are conducting their campaigns, the MP said all the aspirants are campaigning well and he believes strongly that at the end of the Congress, the best will emerge as the Presidential candidate for the party. He said even though the general predictions are that the NPP Delegates Congress on December 22, 2007 will be pushed into a run-off, he believes that a winner will emerge in the first round. “The delegates will vote massively for one candidate so that the public will have confidence in our leader.” He pointed out that the NPP will be more united after the Congress and kick-start the campaign for the 2008 elections.