The middle-class in NPP, NDC are ’lazy’ – Ben Ephson

Editor-In-Chief of the Daily Dispatch newspaper, Ben Ephson Jnr, has lashed out at the middle-class in society who are either associated with the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) or the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), describing them as lazy people who are also afraid to be identified with the political parties.

Such people, he however noted, are the always the first to go and lobby for ministerial positions and other appointments when the party comes to power.

According to him, at the critical stage where the party had wanted them the most, these middle-class would never turn up but would be the first to show up their faces at the flagbearer’s office as soon as the party is pronounced winner in a general elections.

“Our middle-class people are lazy. They are afraid to be identified with a particular party but they are happy to take up ministerial appointments. Both NPP and NDC cannot tell me that they don’t have 30,000 middle-class men and women to be at the polling station to ensure that everything go on well.”

“After all, how much will you spend on them? You will spend about GH?15million on food, accommodation and other things on these people (middle-class) and there wouldn’t be chaos at the polling station,” he noted.

Ben Ephson made this observation in an interaction with sit-in-host of Anopa Kasapa, Kwaku Owusu Adjei on Kasapa 102.5 FM on Wednesday.

Ephson’s remark was in response to comments by the Northern Regional Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Daniel Bugri Naabu that the elephant family will independently deploy 40 armed men to every polling station in the region to police the ballot box on voting day.

The NPP chairman at a political rally at Savelugu last weekend told the gathering that the move was to prevent a repeat of the “naked thievery” that characterized the 2008 and 2012 elections respectively.

“Members of Kukurudu, my brothers and sisters greetings to you all for the massive turnout; this means that the election is won already but what I have to tell you is that you know the NDC. They know how to steal. They stole in 2008 and snatched it from us in 2012. So I beg you my elders what I have for the youth is that this year election if care is not taken they will steal again.”

“So on 7 December gets some young and strong men about 40 to guard the box and if the thieves come to snatch away the boxes break their legs. You were witnesses to the Supreme Court ruling; would you allow them to steal again? If they steal again we are dead so this one is do or die. Don’t agree! If they are not afraid of guns and cutlass we are also not afraid.”

Ephson commenting further said it is needless to send armed civilians to police the ballot when you have dedicated men and women who could calculate the results of the polls very well at the polling stations.