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General News of Monday, 24 November 2003

Source: Chronicle

CPP Guru Condemns Government Approach

A Takoradi-based veteran legal practitioner and leading member of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Bentil Entsil, has condemned the method being used by the government to fight poverty in the country, saying the government is only wasting our resources that could have been channeled into other sectors of the economy for the benefit of all.

He said the government cannot be doling out money to people who are sometimes friends and relatives to invest with it when these beneficiaries as a matter of fact, just collect the money and make use of it because they have not got the business sense to invest the money to achieve the purpose for which it was given to them.

"You cannot be putting money into the hands of people who have no business sense and still claim that you are fighting poverty," he said.

Speaking at a ceremony where the elected executives of the Takoradi Polytechnic chapter of the party were inducted into office last Saturday, Bentil advised the government to rather channel this money it was using to 'fight' poverty, into setting up of industries where a lot of people would be employed, which is also a way of fighting poverty.

The veteran lawyer cum politician also criticized the government on the way it has been handling the Ghanair affairs, saying it is not in the best interest of the country.

He also made reference to the defunct Black Star Line, which the government promised to revive, but up till date, has not done anything about.

He promised that, if his party was given the chance to rule the country, the issues he had raised would be streamlined to make life better for Ghanaians.

He also registered his displeasure about the way the country has been importing almost everything, including the food that we eat, adding that something drastic must be done to correct the situation.

The western regional chairman of the party, Capt. Kwoffie, on his party said the new leadership of the party preferred the real democracy to democratic dictatorship.

In pursuance of this goal, Kwoffie said CPP would never allow itself to be used as a steering wheel for any political party in the country.

"What we are struggling for now is real democracy, not democratic dictatorship which must not be allowed to happen in the country," he added.

The former member of Parliament for Effia Kwesimintsim, Joseph Abekah, who spoke on CPP policies and ideologies, said his party was not against the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme since it was a laudable idea that must be supported.

He however called on the government to explain in details the nature of the scheme for the ordinary man on the street to understand. Some of the elected executives who were sworn into office by the regional party chairman were Samuel Kwashie, chairman, Bassau Jones,secretary, Kate Ampretwum, deputy secretary among others.