Jake's Fear: NPP Can Lose Election 2004

THE MINISTER for Information and Presidential Affairs, Hon. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, has expressed fear about the New Patriotic Party (NPP) winning the 2004 elections if District Chief Exectives (DCEs) do not work as a team.

He said elections are not a foregone conclusion and asked the NPP to learn a lesson from the way the National Democratic Congress (NDC) lost the last elections.

"The NDC lost the elections even surely than the NPP won," he pointed out and cautioned that nobody should make a mistake and have the arrogance to think that "we will win Election 2004 because we are in power."

The minister who was opening an Emergency National Meeting of Regional Ministers and DCEs in Kumasi on Monday, this week, noted that there are many opportunities for the NPP to lose elections if the DCEs do not work as a team to strengthen their hold to power.

Jake reminded them of the consequences if they allowed the NPP to lose the election by referring them to the fact that the NPP had been in opposition for 30 years.

"If we don't play as a team, we would not deliver election promises and, therefore, would lose at the elections," he said.

He said also that the NPP would not only deliver but also strengthen its hold on to power and deliver the country out of bondage if the DCEs played as a team.

The Information Minister, therefore, charged DCEs to work out and define roles and take action to implement the President's vision.

Aware of the fact that nobody can serve two masters, the minister told the DCEs that they had no choice but to serve several masters, namely the President, sector ministers, regional ministers and the local government ministry to ensure effective over-lapping roles.

The DCEs were also asked to strengthen their hold on power by working for the support of District Assemblies and identifying potentials to enable the government deliver election promises.

The minister also charged the DCEs to identify and focus on at least five priorities for effective implementation because, according to him, it was better that one concrete project is completed than many projects at the planning stage.

Hon. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, stressed the need for DCEs to re-orient themselves against divisive tendencies.

His admonition follows reports of non-cooperation and power co-ordination between DCEs and the Regional Co-ordinating Councils (RCCs), Sector Ministers, MPs and even colleague DCEs.

Baah-Wiredu pointed out that there were over-lapping activities and issues which called for reconciliation to review their differences.

"Don't allow your attention to be diverted from the government's vision of establishing a cost-effective, responsible and performance-oriented assembly to satisfy the needs of the people," Baah-Wiredu advised.

He said there was no point in wasting resources in fighting imaginary enemies.

Hon. S. K. Boafo urged colleague Regional Ministers and DCEs to adopt specific strategies for the effective management of government business for the benefit of the people.