Politics of Sunday, 5 December 2004

Source: GNA

We are allies, not enemies - J.H. Mensah

Keta (V/R), Dec. 5, GNA - The Senior Minister, J.H. Mensah has stated that the only obstacles hindering the realisation of the true vision of a unified and prosperous Ghana, is the issue of deep-seated ethnicity and personality cult in certain parts of the country.

He observed that, these negative tendencies had succeeded in blindfolding some good people of Ghana from making critical analysis of realities on the ground, stressing, "for the same reason, some people have blatantly refused to see the concrete, material progress so far made by the Government of the New Patriotic Party in the relatively short period.

The Senior Minister made these remarks during his campaign tour of the Keta and Anlo Constituencies of the Volta Region recently. He urged the people to look around and see the numerous development projects the Government had undertaken in the area within the past few years and compare that to the two long decades of military entrenched regime of the past and cast their votes to return the Government to power for a better tomorrow.

He also reminded all qualified voters that the destiny of the country was the collective responsibility of all Ghanaians, adding, "we are allies, not our own enemies," he stressed.

The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Major Courage Quashigah, who accompanied him, explained that, the NPP colours and symbols should not be used as the basis for rejecting the Government, because the royal staff of the Awoamefia Stool has the elephant carved on its head. He also pointed out that, the Party colours of red, white and blue were in agreement with the culture and tradition of the Anlo people, because the highest deity of the land was draped in the same colours. Major Quashigah, therefore, called on all Anlo people to renew their loyalty and mandate for the Government so that together, they would build a strong, unified and prosperous Ghana on the road of positive change towards a fair share of the country's wealth. The Minister urged the people to be critical of all parliamentary candidates, who were parading themselves under different colours and symbols, adding: "it is not the colours and symbols, per se, that matters but the calibre of the persons representing them".

The NPP Parliamentary Candidate for the Anlo constituency, Mr Edward Kofi Ahiabor noted that, the widespread poverty and frustrations in the area was not the making of the Government but due to the lack of vision and sheer neglect on the part of the previous regime. Mr Ahiabor stressed that, when power was concentrated in the hands of the wrong persons, it was grossly abused and told them that, as a soil scientist and irrigation expert, if elected to power, he would introduce scientific farming on a large scale to bring sufficient income to the people.