NDC disputes government’s claims on the economy

Forum for Setting the Records Straight, a unit created by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to correct wrong information on the campaign trail, on Monday said the New Patriotic Party's claim that the economy had grown four-fold in the last eight years was false.

It said the NPP was only throwing dust into the peoples' eyes by saying that the economy had grown from four billion dollars to 16 billion dollars.

“The NPP is so anxious to mislead Ghanaians that they have completely lost sight of the fact that there is no way an economy purportedly growing at an average of about six per cent can quadruple in eight years,” Mr Fiifi Kwetey, National Propaganda Secretary of the NDC, said at a press conference.

“An economy of four billion dollars in 2000 growing at the so called average rate of 6 per cent per annum can in eight years be at most only $6.4 billion,” he added.

Mr. Kwetey said the NPP was using the wrong statistics to deceive the people because their mindset was that they could use lies and distortions to get hold of political power.

He said even in the midst of the economic crisis that hit the country in 1999/2000, the country did not reach the low depths of today's quagmire that had seen the collapse of the textile sector, the cotton and local fishing industries, local rice, among other sectors.

Touching on the NDC's manifesto, Mr Kwetey said the party's promises were credible and based on its past track record of delivering solid development over the years in all segments of national life.

He said even in the face of resource constraints, the NDC during its tenure was able to deliver and establish a credible platform on education, development of the energy sector and infrastructural development such as roads.

We are assuring Ghana that unlike the NPP, we deliver on our promises because our party has the track record of delivery. We have over the years shown that we do no speak much but we deliver a lot,” he said.

Mr Kwetey said in Professor Atta Mills, Ghanaians had a candidate who was a shining icon of incorruptibility, honour and sincerity.