NPP May Raise Fuel Price

The aspiring National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for the Korle Clottey constituency and the former Tema Municipal Assembly Chief Executive, Nii Armah Ashietey has hinted that there is a grand scheme by the NPP to increase petrol price from ¢20,000 to ¢42,000 next year if they win the elections.

He, therefore, called on the electorate in his constituency and the nation as a whole to vote him and his party into power to avoid such a inhumane policy and empower them to continue from where they left off in 2000.

He said this at an Umbrella meeting at Ajumanko, a suburb of Accra last Friday.

The aspiring MP said since the NPP administration took over, there had been hardships every where saying, "People are suffering" and prices of goods and services had increased drastically, all due to the bad policies of the NPP.

He accused the government of misusing and playing politics with the Poverty Alleviation Fund as most fishermen and fishmongers in his constituency were not included.

He added that instead of the NPP working towards reducing the high unemployment rate and the development of the country they were lying about the NDC and warned that the method of influencing voters with money would not work and they would be very vigilant during the elections to avoid vote ringing.

He predicted a resounding defeat for the incumbent MP, Mr. Adu Mantey come December. "In terms of record performance, I stand a very good chance than Adu Mantey," he asserted.

Touching on his programmes for the constituency, he said his leadership would enable the people identify their talents as the youth, especially those in his constituency, have lost focus. He promised to train the youth and later support them with an initial capital to enhance their capability of earning a living. With this, he said, a large number of people would be employed thereby reducing the unemployment rate and poverty.

Mr. Ashietey stressed that he would support policies and programmes to give better education to wards in his constituency.

Scholarships and educational funds would be established for corporate companies and institutions in the constituency to contribute into for the development of the area.

He noted that he would pursue policies that would bring quality, affordable and available education to all school going people and give assistance and incentives to teachers and health workers beside making health services accessible to all.

He pledged to help create jobs through the use of computer technology, poverty alleviation and the Youth in Agriculture project as well as improve the fishing industry.

Mr. Ashietey said his ultimate goal was to make Klottey Korley, a model constituency and promote aggressive revenue mobilization to undertake appropriate development to better the lives of the constituents. He pledged to bring his experience acquired all these years to bear on the constituency if elected.

Mr. Ashietey is a lawyer by profession and served for eight years at the Tema Metroplitan Assembly. Notable among his achievements were the establishment of the Tema International Trade Centre, building of drainages, schools, public libraries, streetlights and shops. He established as well, scholarship schemes for schools and built the male ward of the Tema General Hospital alongside putting in place an endowment fund to support Nungua, Tema and Kpone stools.

Supporters and non-supporters alike danced to the tune of new NDC songs composed by Benjamin Quaye.

Other speakers were the chairman, Mr. Noertey Hanson, the treasurer, Cynthia Qaurtey, Paul Steiner, a former member of the NPP, the defeated primary candidate, Mr. Leeford Kpapo among others.