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General News of Wednesday, 26 September 2012

Source: radioxyzonline

"Talk is very cheap; NPP can't be trusted" - NDC

The Forum for Setting the Record Straight says the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has proven by its track record that it is not a government that can be trusted and has therefore called on Ghanaians to reject the party in the December polls.

The group made up of some deputy ministers and members of the party’s communication team held a press conference in Accra, in what appears to be a reaction to a similar press conference by the NPP on Tuesday, to compare the records of the current administration and the erstwhile Kufuor administration.

Mr Fiifi Kwettey, deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, who addressed the conference said, the NPP has no infrastructure to show for the $750 million International Eurobond loan that was procured in 1997 as against the NDC government’s commitment to increasing the infrastructural deficit of the nation.

Mr. Kwettey said “Talk is very cheap and if wishes were horses the NPP will have a very jolly ride at the expense of the good people of Ghana… They should stop pretending to be asleep and appreciate the work being done by the NDC.”

He slammed the NPP for failing to add a megawatt of power to the energy generation system of the country in the eight years it was in government, stating that the NDC managed to add 376 megawatts to the national grid and increased the power supply to households by 18%.

He said the NDC was forced to raise money to start the gang of four major roads that were initiated by the NPP even though the then government failed to make any financial allocation for the projects.

Mr. Kwettey said unlike the NPP, the NDC government has already started the $850 million dollar project that is expected to be completed on time to create more jobs and to increase the power generation of the country. He added that the government is about to commence work on the Accra Plains Irrigation Project, the Western and Eastern Corridor projects as well as the landing sites for the fishing industries.

Citing promises that were not fulfilled by the NPP, Mr Kwettey said the promises of modernising slums, modernizing the railway system, reviving the local rice industry and providing community health nurses for all hamlets across the country are but a few of such promises that became a façade.

"As opposed to NPP which cannot point to any infrastructure they used the 750 million dollars for, the NDC can point to the 850m dollar Gas infrastructure that is on course as we speak- a project that is set to truly transform Ghana’s energy situation and usher in an integrated Aluminum project that will make full use of our bauxite, salt and gas deposits."

He said “any political party can make a promise. Every candidate can mount a platform and make promise after promise. What is important is not the promise but the credibility and the track record of the party and the candidate making that promise.”

He said due to the bad debts left behind by the NPP’s poor management, the NDC government had to retire the one billion Ghana cedis Tema Oil Refinery debt that nearly collapsed the Ghana Commercial Bank.

He said the NPP government collapsed the rice, fishing and cotton industries in the country but the NDC government has managed to procure 140 harvesters for the rice sector and has reduced rice imports by 30 percent in last 3 and half years.

He said the government has managed the depcreciating cedi in a manner that has seen the cedi stabilize against the dollar in recent days. Mr. Fifi Kwettey revealed that faced by a lesser evil in 2008, the NPP had to sell of Ghana Telecom in order save the economy from imminent collapse.

He said the NPP led by Dr, Bawumia chased after “phantom” IFC and CNTCI loans and that if the NPP knew what they are about, such loans will not be pursued, stating “Dr. Bawumia knows not the difference between a genuine and a 419 loan.”

Mr. Fifi Kwettey accused Nana Akufo-Addo, flagbearer of the NPP of scheming to destroy the Ghana National Petroleum Company with his free SHS policy which is not possible to implement in the current setting.

He said the NPP led by Nana Akufo-Addo, is deceiving the children of Ghana with this promise and that the forum for setting the records straight will bring out the unrealistic aspects of the policy for all to see.

Other members who attended the press conference were Deputy Minister of Information, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa; Director of Communication at the Presidency, Koku Anyidoho and Deputy Minister of The Interior, Kobby Acheampong.

The programme was chaired by the Coordinator of the John Mahama 2012 Campaign. Elvis Afriyie Ankrah. He said they party will remain focused on the issues and not fall prey to the dirty tactics of the NPP officials.