Tamale, April 13, GNA - Mr. Kwesi Pratt Jnr, a leading member of the Committee for Joint Action (CJA), has said the opposition parties in the country were lacking in vision and had failed to provide a credible alternative to the ruling NPP government.

He said, for instance, that the fragmented parties of the Nkrumah tradition instead of burying their differences and coming together as a united front were rather engaged in a fruitless fight over the use of symbols.

Mr. Pratt was speaking at a public forum on "National Issues", which the CJA organised in Tamale on Thursday.

He said some parliamentarians of the main opposition party, the NDC, were also not helping matters because they seemed to be concerned about their personal welfare instead of the electorate whom they represent.

He told the public to take note that Members of Parliament had never argued about their salaries or other benefits, saying: "It is a situation of wash my back and I will wash yours".

Mr. Pratt said the NPP government had lost focus and was facing crisis upon crisis in the management of national affairs and expressed regret that the opposition parties could not put their acts together to save the country.

"In view of this situation it is the responsibility of Ghanaians to take their destiny into their own hands and fight against the economic hardships and injustices in the country irrespective of which party is in power," he said.

The CJA leading member alleged that the government had given permission to the United States Government to establish a military base in Tamale to take care of its interest in the West African sub-region. Mr. Bernard Mornah, another leading member of the CJA, said in spite of the economic hardships facing the people, the NPP government had continued to pride itself that inflation was going down while remittances from abroad were increasing.

He explained that if inflation was coming down then it meant workers were not being adequately remunerated.

He questioned why if remittances from abroad were increasing poverty level in the country was still high.

"If the assertion that remittances are increasing then there is the need for those living abroad to remit their relatives to enable them to take care of their medical bills and other needs," he said.