Mills assures Ghanaians of "something new"

Somanya (E/R), Oct. 14, GNA - The flag-bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, has challenged President John Agyekum Kufuor to investigate the various allegations of corruptions levelled against members of his government for the truth or otherwise of those allegations to be established. He said it was not enough for the government to explain off the findings of Transparency International (TI) about the level of corruption under his government as mere perceptions.

Prof. Mills was speaking at mini rallies organised for NDC sympathizers on the first day of his 11-day tour of the Eastern Region, which took him to the Asuogyaman, Manya Krobo and Yilo districts. He assured them that when voted into office, his government would not dismiss anybody employed by the government of President Kufuor but would investigate the reasons for the dismissal of some Ghanaians from their offices by the present government without assigning any reason. Prof. Mills said when elected into office under an NDC government, he would do "something new in the live of every Ghanaian."

The National Organiser of the NDC, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, called on Ghanaians to judge the Government of President Kufuor by the manifesto that his party presented to them ahead of the 2000 elections and vote it out of office if they have failed.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo accused President Kufuor's government of practicing selective justice and that newspaper allegations about people who sympathised with opponents of his party were invited for questioning by the security agents. However, the government refused to take action if the same newspapers made similar allegations about members of government, he held.

The MP for Lower Manya, Mr Michael Nyawonu, accused the government of misusing three billion cedis to import mango seedlings from Burkina Faso for planting in the country only for it to be left to go bad. He said the people in the Krobo and Shai areas were noted for producing good mango seedlings and if that money had been invested in the area, it would have generated a lot of jobs for the people. At Somanya, the MP for Yilo, Mr Dan Tekpertey, said the Yilo-Krobo District Assembly had increased property rates by 3,000 percent and also increased other rates paid by artisans in the District. He called on the people to question the District Assembly to explain what the amount collected for the previous year was used for.

At Frankadua, in the Asuogyaman District, the MP for the area, Mr Dwamena Bekoe said it was impossible for the NPP to win the Asuogyaman seat and called on the sympathisers of NDC in the constituency to unite and work hard for the party to win the seat and contribute their share towards the Presidential victory of NDC in 2004.