MP urges Government to support EC, NCCE.

Issa, (UWR), Sept 1, GNA- Mr. Mathias Puozah, Member of Parliament for Nadowli East on Wednesday called on the government to give priority to efforts to support the Electoral Commission (EC) and National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) to educate the electorate on electoral process to be devoid of petty quarrels and malpractices. He said the EC had no financial capacity to implement the proposed People's Representation Bill, if enacted, since it depended on foreign donors for a major portion of its operations during past elections in the country.

Mr. Puozah made the appeal during the Nadowli East National Democratic Congress (NDC) constituency conference at Issa in the Nadowli District.

He said, "the high rate of rejected votes in the 2004 general elections and poor logistical support for the two organizations to operate independently were matters of grave concern the government should first tackle before embarking on enacting the Bill, which will not only deepen our political problems, but create room for suspicion." The Nadowli East MP also appealed to the Government to expand facilities in the Teacher Training Colleges to train more teachers to effectively handle the yet to be introduced Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education programme (FCUBE) in the country. He said, he and Mr. Alban Bagbin, Member of Parliament for Nadowli West were committing their share of the common fund to support education in the district.

"Already, we have purchased 30 thousand exercise books to be distributed to all schools in the district, while still organizing mock examinations for all Junior Secondary School (JSS) final year students to make them get the feeling of how the final examinations would be."

He advised farmers in the district to embrace the cultivation of cashew and soyabean production since their traditional crops such as millet, sorghum and yam were failing them annually due to the erratic rainfall pattern.

Naa Seidu Braimah, Upper West Regional Vice Chairman of the NDC urged members of the party to unite and work harder to reclaim power in the 2008 general elections.

"The masses are suffering because of the misrule of the NPP government and that will give us the backing to re-occupy our position, come December 2008," he stressed.

He said the recent victories in the bye-elections in Asawase and Odododiodoo constituencies were clear testimonies that the people were suffering and would therefore, revert to the NDC for salvation in the 2008 elections.

All the 15-member constituency executive were elected unopposed, while an additional 13-member committee was also elected unopposed. Alhaji Abudulai Bakwai was retained as chairman while Mr. Joseph Bayor Kayor was elected first vice chairman with Alhaji Yussif Ampere taking second vice position.

Mr.Fonjumah Abubakari was retained as Secretary with Mr. Mohammed Pogsan as his deputy.

The others are Mr. Thomas Kunyara, Mr. K.K.Abu, Abu Kansagna and Timothy Tang as Organizer, deputy Organizer, Treasurer and Deputy Treasurer respectively.