Repeal law on causing financial loss to the state - DFP

Accra, July 17, GNA - The Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) on Thursday described the law on causing financial loss to the state as a political instrument of persecution and therefore must be repealed. "The country is not yet awake to the danger of political vendetta posed by that law on causing financial loss to the state, the law is bad, at least in the manner in which it has been interpreted and applied by the courts. "It requires repeal even if only to that extent. We do not need to wait for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) whose elements are paying the price for passing a bad law that they parented to show how badly they will want to apply it before we wake up to the danger," Dr Obed Asamoah, DFP Patron stated in Accra.

Dr Asamoah who supervised the passage of the law as NDC Minister of Justice and Attorney said it was obvious that the NDC want the opportunity to assume the governorship of the country once again to apply it to elements of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). "That's the only justifiable reason for NDC leadership refusing to propose an amendment to the law," the DFP Patron stated during the inauguration of the Accra Polytechnic branch of DFP's Tertiary Education Students Forum (TESFORD). He said: "the confrontation between the NDC and the NPP is dangerous as the insults, threats, vilification; political vendetta and tribalism today threaten the survival of the nation and pose as dangerous grounds to tear the country apart."

Dr Asamoah said the attitude of the leading members of the two political parties is not good for the nation as it has the other effect of driving good people away from politics; and mediocrity would be inflicted on the country. "What is worse, opposition has been raised to an end in itself; so one cannot see anything good in his opponent. The NPP, when in opposition saw nothing good in the Value Added Tax (VAT) that was intended to fund the GETFUND which they are hypocritically enjoying today. "Today the NDC sees nothing good in a law that they contemplated passing when in power to effect the exercise by Ghanaians living abroad of a right guaranteed under the constitution to all Ghanaians to vote at elections. "When the NPP were in opposition they loudly condemned the size of NDC ministers only to admit when in power that they were wrong," Dr Asamoah stated. He urged the electorate to critically analyse the pronouncements of politicians, as some of the claims to reduce the number of Ministers to 40 is unrealistic.

"With ten regions you require 20 ministers to serve them, a minister and deputy per region. To limit the total ministerial strength to 40 will require limiting central government ministries to ten, a minister and a deputy to a ministry. This is possible only at the risk of inefficiency," the former NDC chairman stated. Other political deceptions, Dr Asamoah identified was the promise by some Flag bearers to revamped within three months abandoned industries."this is impracticable, given the need to assess what needs to be done, to secure funds for this, to repair outmoded equipment, to create governing bodies and to seek parliamentary approval all along the way." Dr Asamoah said DFP as a new party seeks to sweep aside the old order and start afresh with a new crop of leadership and a new vision with the youth to sanitize the political atmosphere and to remove the ills the nation had been suffering from. "Our party is particularly for the youth. That is why our Flag bearer Mr Emmanuel Ansah Antwi is only 43. It could have been a younger person if the constitution had not stipulated that a Flag bearer should be at least 40 years," he said. He said DFP is a rising star showing the way to a new way of life in which attitudes are informed by moral and religious values and urged the youth to propagate the message of the party to win the December polls.

Other speakers include Mr Bede Ziedeng, General Secretary and Mr Emmanuel Ansah Antwi the Flag bearer for Election 2008. Mr Ziedeng administered the oath of office to the eight TESFORD Executives headed by Mr Asamoah M. Selasi, President; Mr Abutiatey Bright, Vice President and Mr Daniel Offie, Secretary.