GNP Comments On C36 Bn. Spending By Bartels

– Let’s Obey The Laws And Be Fair! - THE GHANA NATIONAL PARTY

The admission by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr. Kwamena Bartels (GhanaHomePage, 2006, November 15) that the government has used state funds estimated at C36 Billion to finance individuals in his party, the National Patriotic Party (NPP), and some journalists to “disseminate government policies and programs”, as he put it, is very disturbing. Only a day earlier the Minister denied emphatically that he had engaged in any such act.

According to the report, “The listed beneficiaries included leading members of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP), such as the National Chairman Peter Mac Manu, the National Youth Organizer John Boadu and the former Mayor of Kumasi and MP for Amakom, Maxwell Kofi Djumah and Joe Hackman also an NPP MP. The names of two newspaper editors, A. C. Ohene (Heritage) and Egbert Faibille (Ghanaian Observer) were also listed. The report said the editor of the Ghanaian Observer, Mr. Faibille, had denied any involvement.

Ghana National Party wishes to state our displeasure at the use of public funds by the incumbent government to finance activities that tend to promote the views, information or welfare of the NPP, the government’s political party, and benefiting only members of that political group. It is highly unethical and we believe also illegal. We believe this violates the Ghana electoral laws and we are hereby asking the Director of the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Serious Frauds Office (SFO), and the Attorney General to conduct an investigation immediately and issue their verdict if criminal prosecution is needed. If found illegal and the offending parties guilty, we expect the offending individual and organization to face the stipulated punishment under the law, including fines and imprisonment if so stipulated.

It is the belief of the Ghana National Party that our Ghanaian social structures and systems of social discipline are breaking down. It is our belief, based on research information, that our society’s human and economic development have fallen behind that of some smaller nations who had obtained political independence from Britain around the same time, such as Singapore. We believe that one of the major differences between us and them in being able to climb the socio-economic ladder of success and lift our people from poverty, has been the lack of discipline, and the lack of enforcement of laws, rules and codes of human behavior. Our politicians have abused the use of state funds, buying vehicles for themselves and renovating their houses as first priority, taking expensive trips and collecting per diem allowance, using expensive $75,000 vehicles and traveling in entourages of these vehicles without regard to the economic condition of their people. All these have occurred whiles students were left to pair up at 8 to 12 per dorm room meant for 2, sick patients in our hospitals have had to sleep on the bare floor, state assets have been neglected, and the NPP government has refused to spend a recommended $25 million to supply the nation of Ghana with potable water and rather sign Billion dollar contracts for consulting contracts on projects the Ghanaian engineer and worker can handle if funds are allocated (according to reports by the former Secretary of the US Treasury, Paul O’Neill in Suskind, R.(2004)).

Some observers have remarked that the NPP cannot face real competition for the next coming elections due to their poor performance. Others have suggested neither the NDC nor the NPP have the core pulse of the nation of Ghana and a new political party is called for. The Ghana National Party has received an interim certification from the Electoral Commissioner, as of October 19, 2006. Whiles we are organizing our people, we wish to put on record our strong displeasure at the performance of both parties in our short lifespan as a democratic nation, especially in the last few decades. We hereby register our strong stand against these abuses of power. We call on the officials at CHRAJ, SFO and the AG office to act immediately to help redeem Ghana Now!

As election time draws near, we wish to remind the NPP that the people of Ghana are aware of some of the old tactics incumbents have used in the past to hold on to power. Control of the media and government vehicles is illegal and must stop. Many officials who could not afford their own vehicles when elected to office, and yet, come election time they are able to produce money and purchase scores of vehicles for their elections and even to dish out cash to the poor to buy votes. We believe that it is only through effective leadership and management of our common resources that our nation can make any progress and not through gimmicks and propaganda to fool the public, and neither through reliance on foreign expertise, foreign money and foreign goods. The people of Ghana are tired and weary, and we cannot take these abuses anymore! That is the reason for the formation of a new political party, the Ghana National Party. We only ask for us all to obey the rules and play fair.

For more information contact:

The Executive Chairman - USA 908-922-7909 Ghana 233-21-411973 or Ofori60@comcast.net