400 Cars For NDC Footsoldiers
The forecourt of Ghana’s Parliament has virtually been turned into auto base shop where about 400 brand new Hyundai Verna saloon cars are being sprayed and converted into taxis.
For over a year that the vehicles had been there, questions were posed regarding their destination but now one theory appears to hold sway.
Latest information gathered by DAILY GUIDE indicated that the over 400 saloon cars were intended for distribution to some selected supporters (foot-soldiers) of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), a distribution which would come with a lot of challenges since more were unlikely to benefit from it.
The party had previously distributed Hyundai I10, popularly called ‘Atta Cambu,’ to the foot-soldiers and serial callers including media friends in some media houses.
It comes ahead of the 2012 polls, raising suspicions that it is intended to influence people including taxi drivers into voting for the NDC.
This is in view of the fact that similar distributions of items had gone on in other sectors like fisheries where outboard motors and fishing nets were distributed to influence fishermen into voting for the NDC.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a deputy Minister of Information, announced on Saturday on Joy FM’s ‘News File’ that 35,000 chicks would be distributed to poultry farmers as part of the Better Ghana agenda.
A certain retired officer of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), whose name was given as Pius, was said to be in charge of the vehicles which, according to sources, would be distributed as loans by the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC).
MASLOC was initiated by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration in 2006 as a body responsible for implementing government’s microfinance programmes to reduce poverty, create jobs and wealth.
But issues have been raised about the extent of abuse of the scheme as most of its beneficiaries have often been party faithful who usually do not repay the loans.
When DAILY GUIDE visited where the cars were parked, yesterday, some young men were busily spraying them into white and yellow taxis, embossing them with 2012 commercial number plates and installing taxi lamps on them.
A list of likely beneficiaries was said to be ready for the distribution in the coming days.
Attempts to speak with Information Minister Fritz Baffour and his two deputies, Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa and James Agyenim-Boateng, for clarification proved futile.
A bodyguard of the minister said he was in a meeting whilst his deputies did not answer calls put to their mobile phones even though they went through.