Elmina NPP fear premix issue is making party unpopular

Elmina, Oct. 6, GNA - Members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), in Elmina, on Monday expressed concern about a letter written by the Minister of Fisheries, Mrs Gladys Asmah, directing the dissolution of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) on premix fuel and the re-instatement of the chief fisherman Nana Jojo Solomon as chairman of the local premix committee.

According to them this was creating tension in the township. They said the letter dated September 30, 2008, was making the party unpopular in the town, and accused the Minister of failing to make public an audit report on the findings of alleged financial malpractice levelled against the chief fisherman. Nana Appiah Korang, a spokesman wondered why Mrs Asmah should claim to be lifting the flag of the party high in the Western Region, but was frustrating efforts of the party in the Central Region particularly at a time it was working hard to win the parliamentary seat in the constituency.

The IMC was set up in 2006 to administer the distribution and sale of the fuel, pending investigations into allegations that Nana Solomon had failed to account for GH¢35,000.00 being profit accruing from the sale of the fuel.

Mrs Asmah took over the case last year and promised to have his books audited and report back within two weeks but failed to do so. Voicing their concern at a press conference, at Elmina, the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) constituency chairman of the party, Nana Appiah Korang also accused Mrs Asmah of failing to heed to directives from both the President and Chief of Staff, asking her to investigate the allegations against the chief fisherman. According to him, "her actions and in-actions were affecting the party in the constituency" and stressed that the constituency branch will not forgive her if the party performed poorly there in the December polls.

He warned that they would neither allow the IMC to hand over to Nana Solomon, or allow him to be supplied with the commodity, since he has not been exonerated.

He expressed further concern that instead of routing the letter through the Regional Minister or the KEEA Municipal Chief Executive, copies of it were rather distributed by the traditional council. Nana Appiah Korang therefore threatened that the members of the party would embark on a massive demonstration against Mrs Asmah, if she fails to withdraw the letter directing the dissolution of the IMC, by next week and also accused her of "pampering" Nana Solomon "as if it was right to be corrupt". He was of the view that the IMC was performing creditably and had on four occasions, given account of its stewardship to the community and among other activities, granted bursaries and supplied school uniforms, bags and stationery to children of fisherfolk and asked why such a committee should be dissolved. 7 Oct. 08