General News of Monday, 13 February 2006

Source: GNA

NDC says demonstration will go ahead

Accra, Feb 13, GNA-The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Monday assured supporters and members that plans for peaceful demonstration were on course and that it had no room to retreat or surrender in the face of any intimidation.

The assurance followed a press conference by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) alleging that the NDC was trying to use the purported demonstration against the passage of the Representation of Peoples Amendment Bill (ROPAB) to commit criminal acts.

A statement signed by the Mr J Assiedu-Nketiah, the General Secretary of the NDC, said the NPP was rather attempting to derail what by all indications promised to be a massive demonstration of the ordinary people to show their love for peace and stability in Ghana by nipping in the bud the 'obnoxious' ROPAB.

The statement noted that instead of the NPP addressing the merits of the issues at stake it had chosen to attack the NDC which was only one of the five minority parties besides the NUGS, TUC, concerned citizens and other civil society groups who had openly opposed the passage of 'this bad piece of legislation'.

Mr Assiedu-Nketiah advised the NPP to report any information of alleged criminal acts that were likely to take place on the demonstration day to the security agencies for the necessary preventive action before the demonstration or else the leaders of the NPP shall be held responsible should any of the alleged acts that took place during the march.

The NDC held that the press conference of the NPP, ''decorated with lies'' undermined the meeting the Christian Council was reported to be having with the President PARIS, on the matter.