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Regional News of Sunday, 27 January 2008

Source: Lens

Kufuor Shielding Corrupt Obuasi MCE

Assembly Members Up In Arms Against MCE
Fresh turmoil has resurfaced at the Obuasi Municipal Assembly.

18 out of the 30 elected Assembly members, led by the Works Committee Chairman of the Assembly, David Kenya, have risen up against the Municipal Chief Executive, Hon Sampson Kwadwo Boampong, accusing him of financial malfeasance.

The latest accusation has to do with the divestiture of a multipurpose building at the horsey park in Obuasi to some Lebanese investors acting on behalf of Melcom Departmental Store. The enraged assembly men contend that the MCE divested the property which belongs to the Assembly, without the knowledge of the Members.

Mr Kenya told the Lens at Obuasi that the behavior of the MCE does not serve the interest of the people. “For the MCE to single-handedly transfer the property of the assembly of which the local GPRTU has a share, to a private company amounts to corruption, which needs to be looked into.”

The Assembly members said they wrote several letters supported with documents regarding the corrupt practices of the MCE and handed them personally to president Kufour but nothing has been done about them. “We decided to submit another letter with evidence to President Kufour at this year’s people’s Assembly in the presence of the general public and monitor what actions the President will take on the issue, but we were not allowed to do it”.

The Assembly members are also calling on the MCE and his team to cancel the proposed “Sister City Relation Trip” to the USA scheduled for the 24th of this month or cut down the number from 8 to 3 so as to use the money for something meaningful. They contend that the previous two trips embarked upon by the MCE and his group, which cost the Assembly over 600 million cedis, has yielded no result.

This according to them constitutes causing financial loss to the state and the municipal Assembly.

They stated that for some time now, the Assembly has not been able to pay for students on scholarship due to lack of funds. A Goil Filling Station belonging to the Assembly has been closed down because the Assembly draws fuel from the station indiscriminately without any proper plan to keep the station in business.

“The 300 Million cedis allocated for this year’s trip could be used to solve other financial needs of the Assembly rather than being wasted in the US just like previous expenses on foreign trips have yielded nothing,” Mr Kenya added.

NDC Will Build A Better Ghana- Ofosu Ampofo Story: Winson Addotey, The NDC National Organizer, Hon. Ofosu Ampofo, has reassured Ghanaians of a better Ghana under Prof. John Evans Atta-Mills’ administration and is calling on the electorate to vote massively for the NDC in the up-coming general elections.

According to him, under the watch of Prof. Mills, the plight of Ghanaians would be the major concern of the NDC government irrespective of one’s status in society. He emphasized that the full cost recovery, which is deteriorating the living conditions of the people and is the main policy being pursued by the NPP, would be a thing of the past.

“NDC will build a better Ghana where everybody will be called on board and where the prosperity of the people, rather than the wealth accumulation of the rulers, will be a major concern of the government.”

Speaking to the Lens, he said the electorate is yearning for a genuine change because they have realized that the NPP came to power simply to amass wealth for themselves and toy with the destiny of the people of Ghana.

NDC, he said, is for the liberation of the Ghanaian irrespective of tribe, religion, and status in society whereas NPP stands for the protection of only the few elites in society.

‘We need change that will be a real change- not the fake and cosmetic type we saw in 2000, that is benefitting only a few in the society. We want a change that will benefit all, rich and poor alike. The rich and affluent will have peace of mind and go about their business. The disadvantaged won’t be left out and there’ll be no discrimination.”

He stressed that the rejection of NPP in the general elections means a lot not only to Ghanaians but non-Ghanaians as well. He explained that under NPP government, the country’s image is dented due to continuous illicit drug trading, immorality in officialdom, corruption, armed robbery, and chieftaincy disputes among other things.