*As party faithful defy rain to attend campaign launch

All is set for the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) to compete vigorously to win the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abbrem (KEEA) seat, after a gigantic presidential and parliamentary campaign launch at Elmina over the weekend.

Thousands of indigenes of Edina dressed in PPP apparels processed through the principal streets of Elmina in the torrential rain that began early on the day.

The enthusiastic crowd who were mostly the youth described the rainfall that preceded the launch as divine- “the rain is a sign of victory, when the PPP launched its national campaign in Elmina it rained and it has repeated same today, we are going to win this election Insha Allah,” Kofi Atobraa said.

It was indeed a spectacular scene as the PPP supporters danced to brass-band music of local tunes like Yesu ka Me hu – God With Us, Nduom Be ye – Nduom will do it and many more.

“We are indeed excited, we are going to vote the NDC out in this election, after all we gave the candidate to prove to us what he can do for us, we are not too sure of him, this is the time for change.”

Addressing the crowd, the PPP parliamentary aspirant for KEEA, Mrs. Doreen Manielson, said the fishermen and people of Edina have been taken for granted for a very long time with the promise of a landing beach remaining a dream; “Why should my fishermen be fooled all time, the deception must stop, the PPP is poised to provide to the people the landing beach, we live here and we understand our problems so we will solve them.”

She promised women especially those engaged in fish smoking that the issues to do with financial support for their business should be a thing of the past if they rally behind her adding that she is ready to go to parliament to advocate for women and children…“afi dze nyen bayinfo be gye bosua wo hen ho,’ to wit henceforth our men will borrow money from us.”

Dr. Nduom excited the crowd the more with his presence and his song ‘Yesu ka me ho’ to wit ‘God is with me’ before raising the hand of the parliamentary candidate of KEEA for approval from the people. “The people cannot waste four more years under a Mills administration; a government made up of failed promises, hypocrisy, administrative incompetence, corruption and economic hardship which stare most Ghanaians squarely in the face.”

He said the NDC administration has made living standards of the people terrible, and worsened economic conditions and recorded unprecedented mass failures in education…“The Youth want jobs that were promised.” He said the NDC has failed to produce a plan to eliminate corruption, cronyism, and winner takes all from our national politics.

According to the PPP standard bearer, Investments in education are not well ordered and prioritised so as to liberate the total population from poverty: Quality education has hit an all-time low with 46% of students presented for the 2010 Basic School Exams failing…subsequently in 2011, 54% of the students presented for the same exams failed. “So what has happened to our education as nobody wants to say a word about this problem,” he quizzed.

Dr. Nduom decried the lack of space in our secondary schools stressing that about 50% of those who gain entry in the SHS are unable to be housed and “the value we have placed on vocational and technical education has made them a non-attractive area for these children.”

“What harm do we want to do to ourselves as a nation? The state of the Public school system is nothing to write home about, the welfare and working conditions of Teachers are appalling and do not in any way measure up to their so-called “Nation Builder” accolade.”

He said a PPP administration will also make fishing a top priority and ensure that the country attains self-sufficiency in food production. Dr. Nduom, who is popularly known as ‘Edwumawura,’ and is an indigene of the town said there is no reason why the people of KEEA should be poor; “the constituency has resources and its people are very hard working, what they need is a leader who can empower them.” According to him, what KEEA needs is the missing ingredient — a proper and visionary leadership like the kind the PPP is offering — to be able to transform its vast resources for development. He advised the people that as their party colours indicate-white and red- members of the PPP would ensure a clean campaign devoid of the politics of insults…“our politics would be pure and clean as the white in our flag but with a sense of urgency to eradicate the country from the poverty that is sinking us…,” he told the teeming crowd. He appealed to the people to help make the dream of the PPP a reality by voting for the party in the December polls. Dr. Nduom was of the opinion that “the NDC and the NPP had done their part in the fourth republic and the time for change was now…a change that would bring the PPP to power to implement fully what the NDC and the NPP has failed to deliver in this fourth republic.” Meanwhile parliamentary aspirants of the PPP in the Central and Western Region on Saturday were oriented on the party’s new campaign strategy to win more seats in the regions.

The meeting offered the party the opportunity to discuss and review its strategy for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.

It centered on the message, the delivery and magnetism the party is enjoying currently.

These strategies were shared among parliamentary aspirants in the presence of the Director of Operations of the party, Nana Ofori Owusu, the wife of the flag bearer, Mrs. Yvonne Nduom and the 2nd National Vice-Person, Mrs. Mary Ankomah Boakye-Boateng.

The PPP believes that to be able to hold a balance of power in Parliament, the party must be prepared with the best strategy that will appeal to the electorate to give the PPP the votes required.

It is against this background that the PPP is competing in all the 19 constituencies in the Central Region and is poised to win over 10 seats in the region.

Addressing the parliamentary aspirants, the flag bearer of the party, urged the aspirants to work for victory in the December polls.

“The polling station work is very important for the party; if the party can win this year’s election, what remains key is the completion of the polling station organization.”

Dr. Nduom said the electorate should be made to understand that the 2012 elections is a crucial one that can transform the lives of the masses. “Let Ghanaians understand that they should not waste their votes on those who have disappointed them in the 4th Republic but vote massively for the PPP.” “The PPP strategy of empowering the 21 polling station executives with the right message of Free Compulsory Continuous Quality education, jobs, health care and incorruptible leadership and competence should do the trick for the party.”

He reiterated that the NDC and NPP cliffhanger approach to discourage electorate against the PPP with a message that PPP is not a party with numerical advantage should be challenged with impunity since the party is in this election with a strategy that is working. “Ghanaians are indeed tired of the NPP and the NDC and are looking for a credible alternative, they want to try the PPP but are on the fringes, we have to work hard and spread our message of hope so we get their votes.” Dr. Nduom cautioned that the electorate are getting confused with the PPP symbol of red bright risen sun to that of the red cockerel because of his candidature in 2008 for that party. He went on to advise the party’s parliamentary aspirants to continue the education on the PPP’s symbol till the last day of the election so that the party does not lose votes to any competitor.

The party also held its parliamentary primary at the Ablekuma South constituency which primary was won by Amasa Quartey.

INSET: Dr. Nduom introducing, Mrs. Doreen Manielson, the PPP parliamentary aspirant for KEEA to the crowd Pix: These PPP members and faithful(s) defied the rain last Saturday to attend the party’s campaign launch at Elmina

…Addresses nation tomorrow The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) will tomorrow Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012 engage representatives of identifiable groups in a special Encounter with the Nation in Accra at 6 P.M., prompt.

The venue is the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel in Accra. The groups include civil society organisations, the media, academia, traditional authorities, farmers and fishermen and other professional bodies who the party believes, represent every sector of the Ghanaian society. This was contained in a press release issued in Accra and signed by the party’s Communications Director, Richmond Keelson.

According to the statement, all the invited groups have all confirmed their participation and agreed to ask questions at the programme.

The programme, the statement continued, will be addressed by the party’s flag bearer, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom.

Other executive members of the party including PPP parliamentary aspirants, it said, will attend the programme.

“The PPP will use the platform to inform Ghanaians about its plans and actions for this year’s elections. Since the birth of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) on February 25th this year, our single obsession has been how to change the trend of politics of insults and vilification to a more refined campaign of ideas and issues which in our opinion has been a grieving missing link in our body-politic since the inception of the 4th Republic,” the statement indicated.

“Our dear nation has reached a stage where we believe, elections particularly that of the presidential should not be considered as the case had been in the past-just a peripheral routine quarterly exercise without recourse to the relevance of messages being churned out by the contesting parties.”

The PPP, according to the statement, is of the conviction that this year’s election should be a “clear departure from the past and dwell more on issues where competence, incorruptibility and capabilities should be the hallmark of campaign messages of parties and their presidential candidates.”

“In the opinion of the PPP when these issues are brought to bear on the electorate they will be able to make informed choices which will invariably enhance governance in the country. It will also serve as a watershed of refined governance system that can be equated with some of the best,” the statement concluded.