TESCON reacts to CJA protests

The past executive members of the Tertiary Student Confederacy (TESCON) of the New Patriotic Party on Tuesday slammed the Committee for Joint Action (CJA) for the misconception that there was too much hardship in the country.

The group said the economic situation in Ghana now was relatively far better than what the National Democratic Congress (NDC) left in the year 2000.

Mr. Harry Afrim-Darko, spokesman for the group who was speaking at a press conference in reaction to statements made by some members of the CJA on recent demonstration in Accra.

The group said the use of offensive words by Mr. Asiedu Nketiah and some leading members of the NDC against the NPP government and their 17 Presidential aspirants was a clear indication that the NDC was still the same unrepentant, violent and militant party Ghanaians knew.

They cited the expansion of aggressive sectors such as the banks, insurance and construction companies as well as expansion in existing banks as a credible manifestation of how well the Ghanaian economy was doing.

For them the NPP government had proven beyond all doubt that its prudent economic measures were unprecedented and that hundreds of thousands of young men and women had been given capital to engage themselves in small-scale businesses.

They said the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme had offered thousands of Ghanaians jobs in addition to better and cheaper alternative to health care delivery.

They referred to the propaganda by some speakers at the CJA demonstration that the NPP government was involved in the cocaine issues as rather ridiculous and childish.

They cited the case of Mr Frank Benneh, a Ghanaian diplomat to Switzerland under the NDC government who was arrested for dealing in drugs and given immunity showed the complicity of the then government in the drug trade.

Mr Afrim-Darko also accused Mr Kwesi Pratt, a leading member of the CJA of being a hypocrite and inconsistent with his stand on national issues.

He said it was so pathetic to see "NDC's CJA" make so much noise about corruption in the country.

He said the SFO report of 2001/2002 revealed a lot of corrupt practices under the NDC government and asked Ghanaians to avail themselves with those documents.

He said establishment of the Office of Accountability, the Whistle Blowers Act, Freedom of Information Bill, Public Procurement Act and the public hearing of the Public Accounts Committee were some concrete measures to fight corruption in the system.