We Have Proved CDD Wrong - Kommey

The newly elected Member of Parliament (MP) for the Odododiodio constituency says the afro-barometer survey report of the Center for Democratic Development (CDD), has been proved wrong by his victory.

Speaking to The Chronicle, Mr. Tackie Kommey said the triumph of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has proved that Ghanaians are fed up with the policies of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), contrary to what the center speculated its survey report.

"This was really one of my challenges because I wanted to prove the CDD wrong," he said. "How could they say this about a party that had just come out of an election winning 92 seats in parliament?"

He said the afro-barometer survey report, which indicated that the NDC would perform poorly in any election in the country was completely based on unscientific assumptions.

He said his experience as a resident of the constituency gave him a real insight of the problems facing people, and that was a major plus in his campaign message because "that reminded the electorate of the failure of the NPP, who in the year 2000 promised them better governance".

According to him many factors also contributed in making him the best choice of the people. He recounted his royal association to the community from his grandfather and father, who were the Ga Mantse from 1919 to1929 and from 1948 to1962, respectively.

He said being the assembly member for Kinka electoral area of the constituency and serving on about 7 committees of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), gives him a better chance of knowing what the people need to make their lives better.

Mr. Kommey said though it is not the MP who executes projects in the community, he had identified some priorities. On education, he said he, as an assembly member, in collaboration with the other two assembly members in the area, had worked out a scholarship scheme with Shell Ghana Limited. This is currently taking care of 68 students in both secondary education at the Holy Trinity Secondary school, and skill training at the Sacred Heart Vocational School.

He said the company is intends to increase the scheme to cover about a hundred students as part of its social responsibility this year. He then called on other donor agencies, companies, as well as financial institutions surrounding his constituency, such as the Barclays Bank, the Ghana Commercial Bank and many others, to also help set up funds to assist needy but brilliant students in the community.

He identified women as the backbone of families and said their empowerment was very prudent if the nation had to develop. "I will continue what my predecessor, the late Asafoatse Mankattah, did by soliciting for funds from NGO's inclined to that sector. The aim is to let the women here, who are mostly fish mongers and traders, have access to loans to expand their businesses."

Hon. Kommey admitted that idleness of the youth in the area was a real problem because most of them lacked skill-training and he disclosed that he was taking steps to work out modalities with some donor agencies to provide this. He hoped to assist those with boxing talents in the community who are faced with the challenge of advanced training and gym facilities.

When reminded of the constant filth in the central business district of Accra which was part of his constituency, he said he was already in the progress of creating 60 to 80 community-based organizations to help desilt and clear filth in the area on periodic clean-up campaigns.

On his work as an assembly member, he confided that it was a "very difficult position because all sorts of problems, from providing food to the hungry to paying children school fees, are brought to you." He said assembly members are not paid salaries but are only given sitting allowances "if you don't go for a sitting,that means you lose your allowance". This he felt had made some assembly members engage in illegal and dubious activities.

He said becoming an MP would give him the opportunity to let parliament have another look at LI 462 so that some form of remuneration will be given to make the work of the assemblyman easy.

52-year-old Mr. Kommey believed in a united force saying "I have even had meetings with the other contestants in the by-elections because I believe it is important to bring in all stakeholders to develop our community. Division will not help us," he stated.

Winning the elections was the happiest moments in his life. "We proved the CDD report wrong by perfectly doubling the margin of winning," he said and then expressed appreciation to the people, especially the women of Odododiodio, for their selfless devotion to his call.