Ethnocentrism will cost NPP 2016 elections – Omane Boamah

Minister of Communication, Dr. Omane Boamah, has forecasted that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will undoubtedly be defeated in the 2016 general elections for adopting what he describes as ethnocentrism to make the ruling government unpopular.

His comment comes in the wake of a demonstration organized by the Ashanti regional NPP parliamentarians and executives to register their displeasure at the erratic energy crisis and economic problems facing the country.

The demonstration dubbed: “Yay3 d3n demo” literary meaning “what have we done,” saw hundreds of the party’s supporters in the region wield placards to protest some of government’s policies in the region, which they say have rendered most of them jobless.

But speaking on Radio Gold’s current affairs programme Alhaji and Alhaji with Alhassan Suhuyini on Saturday, the Communications Minister described the demonstration as a reaffirmation of the fact that the NPP is an ethnocentric party.

He expressed surprise that the NPP has not learnt any lesson in the aftermath of the 2012 elections in which the party toed tribal lines to amass votes, but failed to win power.

According to him, the Ashanti Region is not the only region experiencing erratic power supply, adding that the remaining nine regions in the country also face similar faith.

“They are going to lose the 2016 elections because strategically, they still have a major heddle to cross…assuming for a moment that the energy crisis is restricted to the Ashanti Region in terms of its intensity, strategically, is that what they should start with?” He quizzed.

He further condemned the NPP’s resolve to repeat the demonstration in the Northern Region, saying it is a way to throw dust into the eyes of Northerners, with the aim of scoring cheap political points.

Dr. Omane Boamah nonetheless blamed the NPP for the current energy crisis facing the country, alleging the party failed to improve electricity supply when it was given the opportunity to rule the country.

“For their (the NPP) entire eight years, did they add 1 megawatt of electricity power to the capacity in Ghana? Sometimes we may forget this, but it is very significant,” he condemned.

He recalled that, “in 2006, we were in darkness. In 2007, it was same. Since the NDC administration took over, we commenced projects like providing the combined circles which are ongoing to add about 110 megawatts of power. We are also working on the Kpone thermal plant. We are bringing in 440 megawatts of power from Turkey…we are working on the challenges.”

Dr. Omane Boamah further stated that the NDC government has demonstrated it is capable of solving the energy crisis by completing the Bui Dam which was abandoned after the overthrow of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in 1966.