Mr. Dan Botwe, General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has said that the party's campaign is a crusade to win the next general elections to save the country from its present economic and social malaise.

The party, he said, therefore, needs committed and dedicated members and supporters who will carry the crusade to every nook and cranny of the country. Mr. Botwe was addressing the Ahafo-Ano North constituency executive of the party at Tepa to round off his outreach program in the five constituencies in Ashanti where the party lost in the 1996 elections.

He cautioned District Chief Executives (DCEs) against using the poverty alleviation fund to lure the party's youth into the NDC and said the fund is not meant for political activities. Mr. Botwe, therefore, asked the DCEs to stop the practice and use the fund for the purpose for which it is meant. They should be circumspective in their actions and activities since they (DCEs) are in office to serve everybody in line with the non-partisan nature of the district assemblies.

He said the NPP would monitor their activities closely and call them to order so that they work strictly in accordance with the constitution. The General Secretary charged supporters of the NPP to counter the negative propaganda being used by the NDC, especially in the Zongo communities, that the NPP will sack all aliens when it comes to power. He described the allegation as absurd

Reacting to complaints from the supporters that they are allegedly being harassed by the NDC, Mr. Botwe said the party would defend any of its supporters for their political stand, and urged them to inform the national executive of any such harassment. He, however, told them that the party would not support any supporter or member who takes the law into his own hands or indulges in criminal activities. The executive complained about the lack of logistics and finance to carry the campaign to the rural areas.