Minister advises people entering politics to enrich themselves

Kpong (E/R), July 7, GNA - The Eastern Regional Minister, Dr Francis Osafo-Mensah has advised politicians intending to enter politics to enrich themselves to stay clear and allow the New Patriotic Party (NPP), which had a development agenda, to rule the country. He said the NPP was aiming at winning 170 parliamentary seats in Election 2004, including the Lower Manya Constituency, to enable the Party to have absolute majority in Parliament so that the future NPP government would not have problem in getting its programmes obstructed by Parliament.

Dr Osafo-Mensah was speaking at a mini-rally organised at Kpong to introduce the NPP parliamentary candidate for the Lower Manya, Mrs Difie Dedo Agyarko-Kusi, a 54-year-old Linguist and Former Diplomat, to the electorate.

He urged women in the constituency to educate their husbands to vote for her and NPP and President Kufuor in the elections. Dr Osafo-Mensah said the Chinese loan, which the Government was raising, but the National Democratic Congress (NDC) attempted to sabotage was meant to transform the railway system, which their government left to deteriorate.

Ms Gloria Afua Ayingmo Akuffo, Deputy Minister of Justice and Attorney General, advised the electorate in the constituency to check their names when the voters' register was exhibited.

She said the NDC was dead and its supporters had become orphans, and therefore, urged the supporters of NPP to accept them into their fold.

The Eastern Regional Chairman of NPP, Nana Adi Ankama said despite the Krobo slogan "Wo ma chakemi' which means "we are going to change" which caught up nationally during the 2000 electioneering campaign, the Krobos did not change their voting pattern.

He said since multi-party democracy was instituted in Ghana, the Busia/Danquah tradition had never won a parliamentary seat in the Krobo area.

"For this reason, we went fasting and praying and God listened to our prayers and provided us with the David to lead the NPP in the 2004 elections in the Lower Manya constituency" Nana Adi Ankama said. Mr Peter Aseme Padi, Constituency Chairman of the Party, called on the incumbent Member of Parliament, Mr Michael Nyawonu, to campaign on issues.