The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has formerly reacted to comments made by the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Prof Evans Atta Mills, to “set the records straight.”
At the NDC’s campaign launch last week, Prof. Mills accused the NPP government of failing to deliver on what they promised Ghanaians before the 2000 elections.
Chairman of the NPP, Mr Peter Mac-Manu, flanked by other top officials of the party, including General Secretary, Nana Ohene Ntow, addressed a news conference in Accra on Tuesday, to defend the government’s economic policies and efforts at eradicating the drug menace, calling for a rejection of the NDC’s claims.
The party has been reacting in bits to Prof. Mills’ comments but Tuesday's press conference, according to party executives, was to set the records straight, contrary to the claims by Prof. Mills and his campaign machinery.
“After an earnest self appraisal, the NDC have come to the conclusion that Ghanaians know who they are and what they stand for and will reject them once again at the polls this December,” he stated.
Mr Mac Manu also drew allusions to portfolios held by some executives of the NDC, stressing they (the executives) were witnesses to the “mediocrity of leadership” which spurred the country into the Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative.
“The NDC presidential candidate has come before Ghanaians on three occasions and was rejected three times, and the people of Ghana witnessed his helplessness as the country suffered a free fall,” he recounted.
He described the NDC’s attempts at “avoid a comparison” of records as evidence of its “shameful” past, adding, the ordinary Ghanaian is better off under the eight-year rule of the current government than the 20 years under the PNDC/NDC.
To reinforce his argument, Mr Mac Manu refered to statistics in a recent World Bank report which put the rate of poverty in Ghana at 28 percent, 12 percentage points lower than the 2001 figure of 40 percent.
Silver spoon or golden spoon?
Myjoyonline Ghana News Photos | Golden/Silver spoon
Golden/Silver spoon
Mr. Mac Manu also responded to Prof. Mills’ statement that unlike some of his (Mills’) colleagues, he was not “born with a silver spoon in his mouth”.
Rather, Mac Manu said Mills had a “golden spoon” in his mouth when he was offered the running mate slot by the NDC founder, former President Jerry John Rawlings.
He said it was rather surprising that Prof. Mills whose parents belonged to the middle cluster of society during pre-independence Ghana would make such claims.
“While Prof. Mills was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he certainly had a golden spoon but put in his mouth by his political mentor.”
He said the flag bearer of the NPP had “every reason to be proud” of his background
‘Panic reaction’
The NPP also denied its news conference to respond to statements by the NDC flag bearer was a panic reaction to the issues raised by the NDC.
In an interview with Joy News, the Campaign Chairman of the NPP, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey said the press conference was to present the side of the NPP on the issues to enable voters make an “informed decision” during the 2008 polls.
However reacting to the issues, Communications Director of the NDC, Ms. Hannah Tetteh, described the NPP action as a basis for mediocrity.
She said the ruling party had been too selective in the statistics it presented, promising to provide a full version in due course.
Source: MJFM
