Politics of Thursday, 18 November 2004

Source: GNA

Ghanaians should not return NDC to power -Akufo-Addo

Asiakwa (E/R), Nov. 18, GNA - The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa South Constituency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has said since nothing good came out of the 20 years administration of Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) they should not be voted back to power.

He pointed out that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) should rather be returned to power because it was a government that had brought dignity to people and a measure of respectability to the country.

Nana Akuffo-Addo, who was addressing NPP supporters at Bunso, Asikam and Asiakwa in the Abuakwa South Constituency on Wednesday said, with the high image the government had brought to the country among the international community, "every faithful Ghanaian has no option than to vote the NPP back to power".

He cautioned the electorate against being taken in by NDC's slogan of "Sankofa" (go back for it), saying; "there is nothing good in the 20 years administration of the NDC that we Ghanaians need to bring back". He said the NPP Government had not disappointed the Akyems; therefore, they had no reason not to vote for it on December 7.

He the NPP Government had proved beyond doubt that, they were competent and had the interest of the ordinary Ghanaian at heart and cited the improvement in the cocoa industry and other measures taken to boost the economy.

The Minister said people must tell through the power of their votes that they appreciated development in peaceful environment and a government that displayed the highest discipline in the interest of moving the nation forward.

Nana Akuffo-Addo reminded Ghanaians that President John Agyekum Kufuor's Administration had not "seen the beating of a Vice President; the shaving of the heads of innocent Ghanaians at the Castle; imprisonment of Journalists, who were only discharging their duties and the general fear that was put in all Ghanaians" and asked them to vote massively for the NPP.

"What does the NDC want you Ghanaians to go back for, is it the brutalities that they meted out to your fellow Ghanaians or the mismanagement of the economy that brought untold hardships on you?" He asked, adding: "It will be a great mistake for the NDC to be voted to power because they have nothing to offer."

The District Chief Executive of East Akyem, Mr Emmanuel Victor Asihene said the NPP had used the first four years of it's administration to lay the foundations for accelerated development, therefore, they needed another four year-term to build on those foundations.

He said the people of Akyem had been good and faithful followers of the Dankwa-Busia Tradition since it's inception and called on them to go out in their numbers to vote the NPP to continue with the good works.