“Skirt and Blouse” still haunting NPP primariesMP expresses frustration about politics of insult

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Asuogyaman Constituency, Mr. Kofi Osei-Ameyaw has expressed disquiet about how some NPP parliamentary aspirants are prosecuting their campaigns. This, he said, they are doing, with little concern about how detrimental it could be to their own party.

Mr. Osei-Ameyaw, himself a “victim” of attacks from his own party members said “politics is not about insult”.

He told ADM in an interwiew that, “It is unfortunate that we tend to attack and criticize one another, which goes round to undermine the credibility of the NPP government, the same party we have been holding in high esteem.”

Mr. Osei-Ameyaw who is the Deputy Minister of Tourism has been criticized by one Mr. Paul Ansah Asare who is contesting the Asuogyaman Constituency on the ticket of the NPP, as being “inefficient” and raised various allegations against the MP, which he said has made the constituency one of the “least developed constituencies in the country”.

In defence, the MP described him as a “political minnow”. He said Mr. Ansah Asare is intentionally launching all those unfounded attackes on him because “obviously we are in a democratic state where people are over-ambitious and would use whatever means they could to get what they want, without considering the other side.”

He told ADM that his challenger “saw hundreds of sympathizers mobbed me when I filed my nomination forms as compared to the handful of people that attended his campaign launch…having realized he has lost in advance, Mr. Asare is just blowing hot air and trying to create attention for himself.”

Considering the kind of support he is gaining from the kingmakers – polling station executives – he said if Mr. Ansah Asare gets more than ten votes then “he has done very well”. He asked him to expect the “biggest shock” of his life in the primaries this Wednesday.

The Deputy Minister reminded said, “If he thinks he was once a student leader, we are now too far ahead…”

He also dimissed the allegation that the constituents are prepared to vote skirt and blouse, if the NPP presents him again as its parliamentary candidate.

“My area has been the stronghold of the NDC since 1992. People were afraid to face the NDC but I came and broke the jinx and won the seat for the NPP… During the 2004 elections, they voted for me in the parliamentary but voted against the NPP for presidential”.

He questioned the rational behind the skirt and blouse issue his opponents are trumpeting about and declared that such “negative acts” can bring neither him nor the party down, and advised his fellow politicians to put a stop to them.

He said even though it is not part of his duty to undertake development projects as an MP, he has brought a rural bank into the area, supported the constituents with micro-fianance (Asugyaman Boafo Credit Union), rehabilitated roads, provided watertankers to supplememt their water supply, among others, and awarded scholarships to over 300 needy students.

Asked what he will do next, if he finally gets the nod, he said “I have been working very hard and I will continue the good work that I have been doing”.

In a related development, 102 out of the 113 polling station executives, who would form the Electoral College to elect a parliamentary candidate for the NPP in the Asuogyaman Constituency, held a press conference last week to give reasons why they would want Osei-Ameyaw to remain their MP.

In yet another skirt and blouse possibility in the NPP parliamentary race, Mr. Stephen Deelarbi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dee's and D Investments Limited, has officially joined the race to contest the Adenta parliamentary seat on the ticket of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP). He would be challenging the incumbent MP, Mr. Opare Hammond at the constituency primaries.

Mr. Deelarbi who picked his nomination forms about a fortnight ago, visited the Greater Accra Regional Office of the NPP last Thursday, where he used the opportunity to submit his forms and a banker's draft for GH¢1,000 as filing fee to the Adenta Constituency Secretary Mr. Aja Wentum.

Mr. Wentum and the Adenta Constituency Chairman Mr. Richard Obiri Yeboah, who were at the party's regional office for a meeting, welcomed Mr. Deelarbi into the parliamentary contest and wished him well.

On his vision for the Constituency, Mr. Deelarbi mentioned water, sanitation facilities and improvement of roads as his priority objectives, when given the nod to represent the people of Adenta in parliament.

He promised to build good partnership with party people both at the grassroot and higher levels as well as liaise with relevant authorities and agencies to bring development to Adenta.

Mr. Deelarbi said he is ready to provide leadership that would be unsurpassed by any representative of the constituency over the years. He said he believed he has the potential to unite the constituents for development and called on traditional and religious leaders in the constituency and their followers to rally behind him.

He has called for calm in the constituency, following reports indicating that the register (album) of delegates (polling station chairpersons) who would vote at the primaries had been tampered with.

He appealed to the affected polling station executives to exercise restraint as their grievances are being addressed by the relevant authorities.