CPP renews its strong opposition to IMF/World Bank

Wa, July 25, GNA - Dr Abubakar Alhassan, National Chairman of the Convention People's Party, has appealed to the government to pursue aggressive policies that would lead the country away from the apparent multilateral donor agencies' control of the economy.

"Unless we as a nation come out with aggressive policies driven by self confidence we will never break away from agencies like the IMF and World Bank whose conditionality is making our people poorer." Dr Alhassan said this when he addressed CPP functionaries at Wa during a brief visit to the Upper West Region.

He said countries that accepted the policies and conditions set by the two Bretton Woods institutions either lost economically or remained stagnant economically.

Dr Alhassan said: ''USA gives subsidies to its rice and cotton farmers and this enables them to produce cheaply for export to earn more money and to create jobs. France gives subsidies to its fishermen and yet they are telling us if we subsidize agriculture they will not support us."

''Leftist policies are more convenient for the Ghanaian situation," he said.

The CPP National Chairman also spoke against the government's intention to off-load its remaining shares in Ghana Commercial Bank to a strategic investor, saying that the policy would never solve the bank's problems.

''It will sink the country further, economically."

Dr. Alhassan said the party would base its campaign for the 2004 elections on debating issues and not on personalities because that would not give it victory.

He called on party functionaries to arm themselves with the appropriate knowledge and skills to be able to face that challenge. Dr. Alhassan said the party would sponsor education programmes in all constituencies to enable them mobilize more people to enable it win the elections.

Mr. Mike Eghan, third National vice-chairman of the party, said every developmental monument in the country could be traced to the CPP tradition.

"Ghanaians have seen the performance of the NDC and they are now seeing what the NPP is doing. If anybody should do a good assessment, the fellow would realise that the CPP is answer to the country's problems,'' he said.