By Charles Takyi-Boadu
Posted:Thursday, July 17, 2008
The Director of Campaign for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku has called the bluff of the largest opposition party in the country, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) which claimed it would win the upcoming Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
To him, the NDC’s claim is a mere political rhetoric because the party stands no chance in the upcoming elections, let alone steering the affairs of Ghana.
This, he said, was evident in the massive turnout at the party’s rally at Kasoa over the weekend.
For him, the numbers that poured onto the rally grounds gave nothing but a firm indication of the belief reposed in NPP and its Flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Dr. Apraku, who happens to be the incumbent Member of Parliament for the Offinso North constituency made these comments in an interview with sections of the press, shortly after the Kasoa rally, at which Nana Addo and several other NPP Parliamentary Candidates were outdoored.
In his opinion, there was no alternative government to the NPP.
He considered the NDC as a big threat to the increasing fortunes of the country's economy, hence Ghanaians will rather desire to retain the NPP in power. “That is why Kasoa was crowded,” he added
According to him, NDC mismanaged the economy when it was in power, a situation that compelled the NPP government to join the Highly Indebted and Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) in 2001, when it assumed the reigns of government.
Since assuming power in 2001, Dr. Apraku said the NPP had demonstrated beyond all doubts that it is the best manager of the country's economy.
“When we talk about the ability to manage the economy of this country, NDC has no chance", he said.
With the current hikes in crude oil and food prices on the global market, Dr. Apraku emphasised that NDC could not have managed the situation and that this would have forced most Ghanaians to starve on the streets.
For him, part of the reasons why many Ghanaians trooped to Kasoa to join the rally was out of their belief for democracy and a government that would allow them to speak their minds,
For this reason, Dr. Apraku reaffirmed his party’s commitment to deliver prosperity in freedom and create a united and respectable society for all.
“Ghana has gained international respect under the NPP government and Nana Akufo-Addo is the man to continue that good work initiated by President Kufuor”, he said.
He enumerated some of the achievements of the of the NPP government which include the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), a programme which he said over 9 million Ghanaians were now benefiting from, the Capitation Grant, the Metro bus system, among a wide range of others.
Considering the fact that education is key to the development of any country, Dr. Apraku said this was what led to the introduction of the Capitation Grant and School Feeding Programmes, which were aimed at enrolling more children of school-going age.
He, however, admonished members and supporters of the party to do their homework well so that the party could diffuse the threats being posed by the NDC.