Kufuor's press conference contained serious inaccuracies

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Thursday congratulated the Kufuor Administration on its 100 days in office but said there were serious inaccuracies and misrepresentations in his opening statement and answers to questions posed by journalists at his press conference last week.

This is contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the National Secretariat of the NDC in Accra to assess the New Patriotic Party's 100 days in office.

The statement signed by Mr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Chairman of the NDC Media Committee, said the NPP's assertion of creating a "new air of freedom" is deceptive and disregards some of the untoward developments in Ghana since January.

"First, the statement deceptively credits his government with a situation (press freedom, free speech, freedom of association and of movement, free elections, etc.) that has been much in evidence under the NDC since 1992 and has made Ghana one of the shining lights of the democratic world.

"Secondly, the statement dishonestly hides the numerous cases of witch-hunting, physical and psychological violence, political intimidation and defamatory publications that the NPP government and NPP supporters have meted out to NDC functionaries."

It said according to NPP commentators and activists who have spoken openly, recent attacks on the NDC are being conducted with a view of destroying it and to prevent it from ever coming to power.

According to the statement, one leading privately-owned newspaper, "The Ghanaian Chronicle", said President Rawlings ought to be "chained and put in a cage" and questioned why President John Agyekum Kufuor and leading members of his government have not condemned such journalistic sentiments aimed at cowing and intimidating the supporters of the NDC.

"The 'Air of Freedom' President Kufuor refers to, may be blowing only through the names of NPP fanatics and excludes the human and civil rights of any person associated with the NDC.

"The number of top public servants asked to go on leave in order to create jobs for NPP supporters has led to considerable fear amongst public servants who may be compelled to act in politically partisan ways, like GTV, in order to secure their jobs."

The statement said the unilateral decision taken by President Kufuor for Ghana to go HIPC came as a surprise to most of his ministers.

It said his appointment of Armed Forces Chiefs without reference to the Armed Forces Council and advice from the Council of State are clear examples of a "one-man show" in Ghana in recent years.

It said most people former President Jerry Rawlings appointed were often recommended by others and were not always people he knew personally. President Rawlings, the statement added, did not base appointments on ethnic or family relationships "as is now becoming so obvious with the Kufuor government".

The statement said the NPP leadership has set up a cabinet without regional balance, which is contrary to the requirements of the Constitution.

"Many ministerial and political appointees are brothers, in-laws, nephews or relations of President Kufuor.

"Almost all the senior cabinet positions are from two regions. There is only one cabinet minister from the three Northern and Upper Regions. The president cannot run away from that fact no matter how hard he tries, the public is aware of this", the statement said.

It said the NPP's notion of an all-inclusive government during the last election has turned out to be a mirage.

The NDC said there is a rising cost of living, broken wages and low wages that the NPP has to contend with.

"The NDC party faithful should firmly stand behind their leadership as we watch the NPP demonstrate their ineffectiveness, their mean destructive tendencies, their intolerance, their creeping penchant for dictatorship and their HIPC-inspired failure of economic politics."