Ashantis angered by the Finance Minister ....

Dr Duffour's Statement made at.........

Ghanaians will recall that President Mills-led NDC government inaugurated 42 newly created districts in June 2012. The Finance Minister Dr. Kwabena Duffour represented President Mills at the inauguration of the newly created Sekyere Afram Plains North district, with Drobonso as the capital. The government has carved out the new district from the Kumawu Sekyere Afram Plains district. Now, the remaining part is Sekyere Afram Plains South, with Kumawu as the capital.

The "Odikro" of Drobonso, Nana Dwamena Dankwa took up the gauntlet for declaring his unflinching personal support for the NDC party and President Mills despite a ban on chiefs to abstain from open political activism. He further called on all the inhabitants of the new district that doubles as a new constituency to vote for the NDC and President Mills. The "Odikro" has always been a strong NDC member long before the creation of the new district with his village as the capital.

One would normally expect him as the "head-Odikro" of the area to thank the NDC and President Mills for their gesture. To go any further with such blatant declaration, calling on all the inhabitants to vote President Mills and the NDC in the upcoming December elections is quite preposterous. Has he ever bothered to check how his subjects are suffering the economic hardships brought to bear upon them because of the incompetence, mismanagement and official corruption by the NDC?

At the inauguration, it is alleged Dr. Duffour made a firm statement about the deliberate policy by the NDC government to starve Ashanti Region of essential infrastructural developments. The reason for their most absurd anti-development policy towards Ashanti Region is that the people in the region vote predominantly the NPP, the NDC's bitterest rival. Let me inform the NDC that if they have any such deliberate policy to punish the Ashantis, then they must be stupid and are unqualified to be in government. I believe they have far worse a policy against the region because they refuse to offer jobs to known Ashantis when a position becomes available in the public service. I wrote an article on this subject sometime ago.

Dr. Duffour went on further to assert it is out of President Mills' benevolence that Kumawuman is about to have a pipe borne water and Drobonso become a capital of a newly created district. In one breath, he tells us about the wickedness of the NDC and in another, he invites us to re-elect them because of President Mills' kindness. I, like many others, do not get his message clearer. One thing I know is Kwabena is an honest person hence making us aware of the NDC stance on Ashanti Region. He is in a dilemma. He feels for his tribesmen. It pains him how the NDC are neglecting us based on some silly presumptions and pure political mischief. On the other hand, he feels obliged to campaign for President Mills for having honoured him with a top ministerial appointment - Minister of Finance and Economic Planning. He is sandwiched between a rock and a hard surface. In all things, I will advise him to let honesty prevail. He should not place his integrity on line just for the sake of belonging in the NDC.

Many an Ashanti was annoyed with him and started bollocking him on air for seeking to garner more votes to guarantee the re-election of President Mills and the NDC party in the upcoming December 2012 elections. How morally justified, they said, is Kwabena canvassing for the re-election of President Mills and the NDC? Is President Mills not a puppet who is not in control of anything? Okudzeto Ablakwah, Fifi Kwetey, Koku Anyidoho, Alex Segbefia etc. are more powerful than President Mills is. Have the mentioned dishonourable Deputy Ministers not hijacked the President's executive powers with impunity?

How do Ghanaians exonerate themselves of blame and ridicule by voting the NDC that smells of official corruption unprecedented in the annals of Ghana's socio-politico-economic emancipation? Are the NDC not viciously stealing Ghana's money via the so-called judgment debt payments which are actually dodgy out-of-court settlements initiated by NDC government appointees? Please give us a break!

The NDC are happy to take the money coming in from Ashanti Region – gold, cocoa, timber etc. proceeds. Why should they not say Ashanti Region does not vote NDC in majority so they do not like their money? Are the NDC reasonable at all?

With all the unprecedented gargantuan corruption within the NDC, I may not expect any sane Ghanaian to campaign for, let alone, vote the NDC and President Mills to power on December 7, 2012. NDC are practicing segregation in Ghana. It will shock President Mandela to read or hear about President Mills' introduction of apartheid policies in Ghana - you do not vote for my party so you get nothing from me. You are an Ashanti so you cannot register or vote in Odododiodoo constituency. You are not a Ga so vacate Ga land. What a bunch of myopic propaganda policies for running a nation. No wonder the NDC have reversed the economic gains chalked under former President Kuffour.

I shall be back!

Rockson Adofo