THE NPP (UK and Ireland Branch) has been following the events in Ghana since the December 2004 elections after which President Kufuor was re-elected to serve a historic second term of office.

We have taken note that since the electorate gave the NPP a second mandate to govern the country, the main opposition party, the NDC, has embarked on a relentless pursuit of discrediting the government, maligning various ministers at every turn culminating in a very profound and systematic effort of vilification of the President and consistently bringing the high office of the Head of State and government into disrepute.

The tactics of the NDC is very infantile, defeatist and sad, to say the least. The NDC and its cohorts have embarked on a cheap political onslaught of mudslinging with the hope that some mud will stick. They come out with arguments based entirely on fiction, their own narrow definitions of principles and adages such as there is no smoke without fire, little drops of water make a mighty ocean. etc., and come to outrageous conclusions and then peddle these conclusions as facts.

This is indicative of a party, which has certainly run out of ideas. NDC resort to magnifying every single issue into a doomsday scenario and these gimmicks are akin to the period leading to the PNDC era. The farcical allegations being brandished by the NDC will surely whither away as they are without any foundations.

In our view, the NDC and their sympathetic press have had its five minutes of fame and jesting and should now leave the stage for real work and development of the country to take place. This is the clarion call of all true patriots.

The NPP (UK and Ireland Branch) will never connive and condone any forms of corruption within the government in Ghana. Anybody who attends NPP (UK and Ireland Branch) monthly meetings will notice the divergent opinion, debate and pluralism, which characterise our meetings. Anybody who knows how the NPP (UK and Ireland Branch) functions will not fail to notice that it is a polyglot, a melting pot of ideas and very representative of some of the finest people from all over Ghana. Dissenting views are encouraged at meetings and a wide range of our policies are agreed on consensus after heated debates. This is typical of how the NPP functions.

The NPP (UK and Ireland Branch) condemn corruption in no uncertain terms and supports the Kufuor administration, which has demonstrated practically its commitment to eschew the county and its ministers of corruption. The recent vetting of all Ministers in parliament is a manifestation of the Kufuor administration?s commitment to public and ministerial accountability and good governance.

The NPP party believes in liberal democracy, a property owning democracy and the establishment of a just society. The sole mission and vision of the NPP is aimed at how life can be better for each individual in Ghana, whether working class, farmer, soldier, doctor, royalty, teacher, student or manager.

Furthermore, we must add that NPP policies are geared towards building a prosperous Ghana through a stable growing economy and investing in public services. The achievement of the NPP first term in office amply demonstrates its strong sense of purpose in making life better for all Ghanaians. Lest we forget this;

The current NPP administration has sustained the longest period of uninterrupted growth in the last 30 years.

It has also been consistent in the lowering of interest and inflation rates, which has not been achieved for a generation.

These achievements are based on sound economic principles and the pillars of enterprise and wealth creation initiated by the Kufuor-led NPP administration. The NPP government is beginning the process of making Ghana the gateway to West Africa and entrenching law and order into the very fabric of the Ghanaian society. These are laudable achievements for which the government needs commendation not condemnation.

These are the issues that we must spend our energies and time in discussing if there are any patriots out there who genuinely want to contribute to the nation building effort. Attempts to distract the government with persistent mudsling, innuendos and blatant lies can only slow down the rate of growth and foreign investment. We of the NPP (UK and Ireland Branch) will not sit aloof for this to happen.

Again, what is sad, very sad is how anybody can even begin to contemplate that any positive lessons could be learnt from the nightmarish experience of June 4th and 31st December. The only lessons worth learning from both periods unfolded at the National Reconciliation Council (NRC) hearings for months and months on end. What does Victor Smith mean by the statement attributed to him imputing that the NPP has not leant any lessons from that era? That statement can only be an outrage.

We of the NPP (UK and Ireland Branch) want to reiterate that never in our history will we allow Ghanaians to be ever subjected to such levels of oppression and wanton display of brute strength from megalomaniacs and bandits anymore. That era is gone forever and no matter how some wish that we should go back to that era that will never happen. The NPP has moved into the 21st century and facing the challenges of the time and the President Kufuor administration is obviously up to the task.

The NPP (UK and Ireland Branch) congratulates the NPP administration for showing restraint in the light of the extreme provocation and continuous irritation from the NDC.

We will urge the Kufuor administration to continue pursuing its noble agenda of creating wealth and a nation of peace and sublime tranquillity for all Ghanaians.

We also call on the government to probe into all cases of corruption and misuse of state funds during the NDC era and bring all culprits to book without any further delay.

Furthermore, we call on the government to publish the NRC report and compensate all victims and set the tone of true national unity and reconciliation in our beloved country.

We also call on the government to see the constitution as a working tool and use it positively to regenerate the economy and the prevalence of social justice for all Ghanaians.

The NPP (UK and Ireland Branch) also call on the government not to waver as the campaign of detraction being pursued vigorously by the NDC rages on but remain committed in the pursuit of its programme of good governance and development of our dear motherland - Ghana.

KWAKU AMPRATWUM-SARPONG (CHAIRMAN) TEL: 07956800047 NPP (UK & IRELAND BRANCH)