Party Exec?s Threaten hunger strike
... But regional chairman says it?s frivolous

THE ON-GOING wrangling in the Kwabre West Constituency of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is causing a lot more apprehension and anxiety among members of the party in the area.

As a result, some Constituency Executive members have decided to go on a hunger strike on Tuesday, April 25 in protest against the Regional Secretariat for what they termed as adamant behaviour displayed by the Regional Executives on recent developments in the area.

A source at a meeting held in Kumasi on Tuesday at about 4:00 p.m. between the executives and the sub-committees hinted The Chronicle that those involved plan to besiege the party?s regional office at Bantama with their mats and blankets, and stay there for three days to register their displeasure for the on-going wrangling, which is likely to jeopardize their chances of maintaining the parliamentary seat.

The source said the meeting covered discussions on some distasteful acts that have characterized the constituency and mentioned the smashing of the constituency office window glasses, in the aftermath of its election of new executives, by an unknown group, the locking up of the constituency office, as well as the arson against the Constituency Youth Organizer, Mr. Patrick Frimpong.

The group suspects all these might have come from the camp of the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, who has a faction in the constituency, while the regional executives are sitting unconcerned; hence, the need to bring to attention, ?our plight?.

However, the Ashanti Regional Secretariat has condemned the move, describing it as baseless. It added that such a move only seeks to rub the party in a mud.

?This suggests how ignorant some of our members are. How can you say that you?re going on a hunger strike because your problem has not been attended to yet?? the Regional Chairman rhetorically asked, adding that it does not make any sense.

Mr. Yaw Amankwah told the paper in interview that only prisoners could say they are on a hunger strike and not an individual who lives alone and could eat secretly.

He continued by saying that nobody, including the constituency executive, has made any formal complaint to them at the regional office for possible redress of the bickering in the constituency.

According to him, he has personally been touring various constituencies under his jurisdiction in an attempt to know their problems and probably hold talks with the parties for lasting solutions. He mentioned some places he visited as Juaso, Adakwa-Jachie, Tepa and Kodie, where the on-going wrangling is taking place.

He believed there are faceless individuals who are pulling the strings to cause confusion in the party at Kwabre West and called on them to desist from such behaviour.