Things are looking grim - UK NDC

The United Kingdom branch of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) says five months into the rule of the government of the New Patriotic Party, "things are looking very grim" in the country.

The branch says the Constitution and Parliament have been by-passed on a number of occasions whilst under the pretence of investigating malpractice, decent citizens continue to be dismissed from work because they served Ghana with dedication under a government led by another political party.

A statement issued in London says the party had also learned of the numerous cases of witch-hunting, defamatory publications and political intimidation on supporters and functionaries of the NDC.

"Many Ghanaians in the UK feel these actions polarise rather than unite citizens for nurturing Ghana's infant democracy", the statement says. In contrast to the President's pledge of ensuring that one set of Ghanaians back from exile are not replaced by another set of Ghanaians going into exile," some of the people dismissed and harassed by the NPP government "are already overseas and more may follow."

The NDC branch laments what it calls the worsening state of the economy fuelled by the increment in the Value Added Tax (VAT) threshold, a likely increase in farming equipment because of the imposition of a five per cent import duty, the rising cost of education and the adoption of the HIPC Initiative among others.

To NDC (UK), the NPP could not in any way blame the former government as the cause of their having to take such steps because of the economy was mismanaged.

What the Rawlings administration inherited was worse, since it was a time when no one in the international community wanted to do business with Ghana because the country was not credit worthy, the statement says.

According to the statement, with a solid foundation laid by the NDC government, "Ghana would be better served if President Kufuor and the NPP government stop wasting time blaming the NDC and got on with delivering their election promise."

"The shock of this belt tightening has rendered the many who voted for positive change speechless", the statement says and appealed to the President to end the current excesses and put Ghana and plight to the ordinary citizen first. "This is the only way to ensure that democracy thrives in Ghana and for Ghana to continue to be the beacon of hope for other African countries."