Govt spikes NPP claims of diluted NDC manifesto

Accra, April 23, GNA - The government on Thursday dismissed as "deliberate falsehood" claims by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) deleted some of its original promises from its manifesto.

It said the NDC manifesto was launched publicly at the Trade Fair Centre in Accra and copies distributed to the public, civil society organisations and foreign embassies, adding that deleting aspects of the document would have been suicidal to the credibility of the party. A statement signed by the Minister of Information, Mrs Sabah Zita Okaikoi, said government was hoping the document the NPP was quoting from was not the NDC's policy drafts which were stored in a computer that was burgled just before the elections, and asked the police to investigate.

The statement said the NPP had finally come to admit that they did not leave behind a buoyant economy as they trumpeted when they were in government.

"Since it is universally agreed that the challenges the NPP speaks of could not have been created by the NDC in 100 days, government would have thought that the NPP would have rather accepted its mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy, which saw the cedi depreciate by 31 per cent in 2008, inflation galloping to 18.1 per cent by December, 2008 and a budget deficit of over 15 per cent."

The statement said government was assuring the nation that it was "busy cleaning the mess created by the NPP government" and would not be distracted in the tedious task.

It said already, government's prudent management of the economy had led to a slowdown in the rate of inflation while preliminary information on the budget execution also indicated an overall narrow budget deficit of 0.9 per cent of GDP in the first quarter of the year compared to 1.7 recorded for the first quarter of 2008.

The statement said government had subsidised fertilisers by 50 per cent, introduced free exercise books, free school uniforms and increased the capitation grant by 50 per cent.

"Government wishes to assure the citizenry that we would keep faith with them and continue to demonstrate that we will carefully and through a cool-head approach, as is being exhibited by President John Evans Atta Mills, to resolve the many challenges that confront the nation." The statement also said the government would welcome constructive criticisms and suggestions from all sections of society.