General News of Monday, 4 June 2007

Source: The Statesman

Statesman: Mills Can't Be President By Lying

There is a growing concern among some leading politicians about how facts and figures about Government activities are often put out into the public domain by government functionaries and some leading members of the main opposition National Democratic Congress. In most cases, the ruling New Patriotic Party Government and opposition NDC differ even when certain facts and figures can be easily verified.

For instance, the issue of the on-going energy crisis, how GETFUND is being utilised, Funds for Ghana's 50th independence celebration, Guinea Worm infection rate, etc.

Worried by this trend, Nana Ohene Ntow, NPP General Secretary has dubbed 2008 elections as a 'Balance Sheet', whereby the two main contending political parties will have to compare their achievements whilst in government.He said this must be backed by facts and figures. By December 2008, the NPP government would have served eight years as the NDC also stayed in power for the same period of time.

Addressing the TESCON branch of the Methodist University College of Ghana last Thursday in Accra, the NPP General Secretary told the members that he personally heard on a radio station where Prof Mills made a statement to the effect that the GETFUND was being mismanaged.According to Nana Ohene Ntow, if the NDC flagbearer and the party's leadership campaign strategy for 2008 elections is to compromise facts, then the NDC does not deserve the mandate of the people to govern the country.

He cautions, "if a man wants to be President he should be careful with facts and figures."Based on the misinformation about GETFUND application, Nana Ohene Ntow said he personally checked from the appropriate authorities and found out that over ¢4 trillion has so far been expended on various projects across tertiary institutions in the country. "TESCON as the intellectual wing of the NPP needs to get these facts and educate the people and expose the NDC when the time comes," he charged.

Commenting on Prof Mills I Care message during his door to door campaign, the NPP guru expressed surprise that the NDC flagbearer, who was the Chairman of the Economic Management Team during NDC administration could attempt to throw dust into the eyes of Ghanaians with that kind of talk, "when he did nothing to help alleviate the suffering of the masses" as Vice President. Buttressing the point that NPP cares more than the NDC, he mentioned the National Health Insurance Scheme, School Feeding Programme, Metro Mass Transport for school children, among others, which the government has put in place to assist in the alleviation of poverty. "Let us draw the balance sheet between NDC and NPP and see which one cares," he added.

A charged NPP General Secretary told the TESCON members that the biggest mistake Ghanaians could make would be to vote out the NPP in 2008, saying, the Kufuor administration had brought Ghana "out of the dark days."He disclosed that President Kufuor’s leadership style of good governance is being copied by some other countries, especially those on the continent. John Boadu, NPP National Youth Organiser, predicted that 2008 elections would be a historic victory for the NPP with or without the implementation of ROPAL.

He urged TESCON members to be committed and re-dedicate themselves to the challenges ahead so that the 2008 elections would be "one touch" for the NPP.Recent repeated threats by the NDC leadership, according to Mr Boadu is an admission that the main opposition party cannot win the 2008 general elections. He pointed out that the Electoral Commission has the constitutional mandate to declare election results, stressing, "it does not lie in the leadership of the NDC to determine elections results."