NDC to create "special constituencies"

The National Organiser of the NDC, Hon. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, has disclosed that the party in its attempt to strategise and energise itself to win power in the 2004 elections is to create “special constituencies” throughout the country. He said the NDC needs to invigorate its propaganda machinery to make it a winsome one by the next general elections. The special constituencies, he explained, are going to be the market centres, women groups, taxi drivers and the Tertiary Education Institutional Network (TEIN) of the party. Hon. Ampofo who is the Member of Parliament for Fanteakwa in the Eastern Region, held the conviction that with the full participation of these groups, which he preferred to call “special constituencies”, the gospel according to the NDC can be fully propagated. The NDC kingpin made this disclosure when he was addressing the University of Ghana

students wing of TEIN at Legon on Wednesday. Present at the function were other NDC gurus like the Minority Spokesman on Communications, John Mahama, and the MP for Awutu Senya, Hon. Hannah Tetteh Kpoda.

The national scribe of the party, Dr. Josiah Ayeh and his deputy, Baba Jamal, as well as the National Youth Organiser, Iddrisu Haruna, were also present.

The national organiser said the party is introducing new identity cards to members and that members are to have their names in a new party register.

Hon Ampofo alleged that perpetual callers to radio programmes who are constantly supporting the NPP are on government payrolls for that job. Some of them he said, accompany government officials on foreign trips. Facts on this, he said would be made available at the appropriate time.

On his part, Hon John Mahama, who is also the director of research and communication of the party, said the NPP government has failed Ghanaians. According to him, the ruling government has not had the full support of the World Bank and the IMF because it has failed to achieve the benchmarks it set for the year.

He explained that the benchmarks included the implementation of a policy aimed at ensuring a full cost recovery of prices of utilities, privatisation of Ghana Commercial Bank, ECG, and TOR.

“Having failed to put all these in place, the donor agencies and the international financial institutions are feeling reluctant to support the economy and hence the stagnation of the economy,” the research director analysed.

For further details on the economy, he disclosed that the Ministry of Finance estimated a total of $80million for divestiture receipts for the year but as at now only $8million or a tenth of the estimated amount has been achieved.

“This being the situation, I was not surprised to see the finance minister in a more sober mood during his presentation of this year’s budget review to Parliament,” Mr Mahama jokingly stated.

Touching on the controversial IFC loan, the former Minister of Communication, noted that the fact that Hon. Yaw Osafo-Maafo failed to talk about it in his budget review presentation to Parliament Assembly indicates that the government is now aware of the mistake it has made.

The Afutu Senya MP, Hon Hannah Tetteh Kpoda talked about the President’s special cassava initiative which is located in her constituency.

She disclosed that the cassava has been planted and harvested three times but the factory has not as yet been established.

“Most of the people involved in the cultivation of the cassava have now decided to abandon the work due to the frustrations they are going through,” the MP mentioned.

Kpoda said the Minister for Women’s Affairs, Hon Gladys Asmah could not answer a question posed by her on the procedure for the disbursement of the women’s fund and described the ministry as a total failure.