The Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the December 2000 Presidential polls, Professor Evans Atta Mills has stated that the state of the Ghanaian economy has been disappointing under the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) despite their (NPP’s) promise of Positive Change.

Speaking at a New Year reception for members of the NDC and a section of the Media held at Osu in Accra last Friday, the former Vice President submitted that Ghana was still going through a difficult transition, with the people suffering.

“On the economic front, last year’s Christmas, by all accounts, had been gloomy for Ghanaian traders and business people had complained about slow sales and consumers had found it difficult to purchase their usual Christmas items. Over the first half of last year the people of Ghana accepted significant increases in petroleum, utility prices and food prices, without any significant adjustment in salaries and wages,” said Mills.

Prof Atta Mills pointed out that the NPP’s promises to abolish the cash and carry system, to reduce school fees and to create hundreds of thousand of new jobs in their first year in office were yet to be fulfilled.

The laying off of thousands of workers from the National Mobilisation Programme (NMP), he said, has had a detrimental effect on the lives of the workers, families and the respective communities the NMP served.

“Many people continue to live in fear and insecurity because of the level of armed robberies and burglaries in our towns and cities. The conflict in Bawku tells all of us of the need to work harder towards greater national unity and cohesion”.

Mills said that, “some would say that NPP has been in office for only one year and they deserve a sympathetic appraisal. Let us remember, however, that the past is a prologue to the future.”

The former Vice President of Ghana was also not happy with the Government’s position on National Reconciliation. He argued that the (government) should have listened to the views of the vast majority of Ghanaians, independent NGOs and international experts who argued that 1957 should have been the starting year for the Commission’s work.

The former Vice President was not also happy with the recent disagreement in his party.

Present at the programme were top NDC functionaries such as Mr Kwame Peprah, Dr Tony Aidoo, Hon Doe Adjaho, Mr Ato Ahwoi, Madam Sherry Ayittey, Mr Totobi Quakyi and ‘Shadow Veep’ Martin Amidu.

Others were Mr Lee Ocran, Sq. Ldr. Clend Sowu, Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama, Francisca Asiama, Mr Victor Smith, Mr E.T. Mensah, Mrs Cecilia Johnson, Mrs Edith Haizel, Mr Kwamena Ahwoi and Mr Kenneth Dzirasah.