Wa, May 18, GNA - The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has within the last seven years proved to be more responsive to the needs of the poor through its pro-poor policies, its Upper Regional chairman Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Abubakari has said.

Addressing a rally at Wa to welcome into the NPP about 50 market women who had defected from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Alhaji Abubakari mentioned the establishment of the Metro Mass Transit service, National Health Insurance Scheme, Capitation grant and the School Feeding Programme as key programmes that the NPP government introduced to help the poor.

He alleged that when the NDC brought in buses during its reign, it distributed them to its supporters at ridiculously low hire-purchase terms instead of putting them under a public transport system. He asked the people to point out any major pro-poor policy that the NDC implemented during its eight years' rule and the 11 years' reign of the Provincial National Defence Council (PNDC).

The NPP Regional Chairman advised voters to be discerning enough not to accept NDC propaganda and lies as truth because they had nothing new to offer and that majority of Ghanaians would again reject them at the polls.

Mr Eddie Kaleonaa, a senior Party activist in the Region, said the high cost of petroleum products was a global problem that was outside the control of the government and it was dishonesty on the part of those who were using it as a tool to attack the government's economic policies.

"You should not expect the government to import crude oil and sell it below the purchasing price to people who will only use the product to drive and ride about".

He explained that subsidizing fuel would not help the poor as money that would go into providing facilities to raise their living standards would go into paying subsidies that in the long run would not support the growth of the economy.