The New Patriotic Party, UK and Ireland Branch held a well attended Press Conference last Saturday.

The Press Conference with its theme Ghana Deserves a Better Government was chaired by Mr Hayford Atta Krufi, Chairman of NPP UK and Ireland. Nana Yaw Sarpong, Communications Officer in his welcome address said Ghanaians voted for the NDC because they promised change, but they have been short-changed by the lack of vision and inaction of the President and his Ministers.

He was surprised that Ministers and government officials had still not declared their assets despite giving 7 days to do so in January 2009. Mr Atta Krufi told the large gathering which included members of the Ghanaian Press in London and foreign correspondents of Ghanaian newspapers in Ghana, that the current NDC government was the worst Ghanaians had ever seen and that the better Ghana promised Ghanaians had become a bitter nightmare.

He told the gathering that for the first time in living memory, there was shortage of Gas and most households were struggling to cook or afford a decent meal while NDC presidential staffers and their concubines were cavorting around Accra at night with motorcades. He challenged President Mills to come out and explain to Ghanaians why Tsatsu Tsikata, who the President has appointed as an advisor on energy and who was jailed for five years for causing financial loss to the state, had set up an oil company in London and registered it to the British Virgin Islands. He criticised Okudzeto Ablakwa for lying to Ghanaians about 1 million jobs when there was an IMF Public sector Job freeze which would stretch till 2012. A whopping 43,700 personnel had been sacked from the National Youth Employment scheme to add to the rising numbers of unemployed. He sympathised with our market women and traders in Accra and Kumasi who were being chased around by Accra and Kumasi Metropolitan Guards. He said Taxi Drivers, teachers, students, the unemployed, workers in factories and offices were suffering while the government was setting up “ko nom teas” and filling it with NDC apparatchiks who were paid per diem and allowances as high as 1000 dollars a day.

He also said it was a sad day for Ghana that the head of Ghanaian intelligence, was supposed to guarantee the internal security within our borders not just for NDC members but all Ghanaians was also a member of the NDC election campaign committee!!!He also bemoaned the fact that our ports especially Tema Port had became a playground for stealing and auction of cars by officials at the presidency and their allies at the Confiscated car committee.

Mr Peter Antwi, a member of the Media and Publicity Group gave an insight into how the government was creating an artificial economy with no sound base for the future. He said the government had no clue to support our banks in order for credit to be made available to our business community so that they could expand and create more jobs. He said the high interest rates on 90-day Treasury Bills with commercial bank rates hovering between 27-34% were forcing people to buy treasury bills instead of investing their moneys in their businesses so as to create jobs for the ordinary Ghanaians. Also that it is just risky to borrow money at this current commercial premium rate.

Mr. Antwi said, before NPP came to power in 2001, the oil companies worldwide considered Ghana as a graveyard and a place too risky to invest in oil exploration. He said it was an outright lie that Ghana only stood to gain 38% from the oil revenue as quoted recently by Dr. Joe Amoako-Tuffour the advisor to the ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, rather he said it was the Ex–President J. A. Kufuor who secured a better deal for Ghana after the 10% charade negotiated by Tsatsu Tsikata (again) and Ex-President Rawlings, and that Ghana stands to gain over 53% from the oil revenues. The question most Ghanaians who attended asked was ‘where is the 15% going to and to whose pocket, and why is the NDC government deliberately lying to Ghanaians about this?

Kofi Boadu Oppong, also a member of the Media and Publicity group thanked all who attended and said Ghanaians must stay strong and never lose hope. He said Ghanaians are realising that the NDC are not going to fulfil their promises. He appealed to the government to wake up from its deep sleep and show more concern for the plight of the people. The Conference began and ended with Moslem and Christian prayers for all Ghanaians in the Diaspora and in Ghana.