Western Regional Minister parades Takoradi streets to file nomination

The Member of Parliament for Takoradi Constituency, Kwabena Otchere Darko-Mensah, has berated members of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) who tout themselves as members only when the party is in power.

It disgusts him to see people parading themselves as members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) only when they are seeking something for their personal interest.

He is particularly incensed that sometimes some affluent members of the party will keep their wealth to themselves when the party is in opposition and watch on while the party struggles for funds for its activities.

“It must be said that you cannot reap where you have not sown. Even the Holy Bible speaks against that. So, it is even a sin to seek for things or a position when you have contributed nothing for the sustenance of that very position you seek to occupy.”

Kwabena Otchere Darko-Mensah, who is also the Western Region Minister, made the observation when he filed his nomination forms in his bid to represent the party as its parliamentary candidate for the fourth time.

Before he filed his nomination forms, the MP, clad in an all-white apparel and accompanied by hundreds of party faithfuls, most of whom are delegates, paraded through the principal streets of Takoradi to showcase himself to the constituents.

He said one of the legacies he will always be proud of is how “without hesitation, I have used my personal resources to help make this our great party stay attractive even when we were in opposition and in the midst of all the disadvantages associated with an opposition MP”.

“We’ve done free classes every year for the past ten years. I initiated and brought the Ghana Technology University which was the first private university in Takoradi. If you go to New Takoradi up there it used to be red sand but now we’ve changed it. If you go to New Takoradi the road, we’ve done it. If you take the library, we’ve done it. If you go to the Kokonte Borla, we are building the first Islamic Secondary School in the metropolis. Again, at New Takoradi, I’ve started a new project called the Regeneration Project. And we continue to give scholarships to our young ones so that they can go to school and come and help with our development. So, we are consistently improving the lives of our people.”

He shrugged off the perception that his position as the regional minister will give him an undue advantage going into the parliamentary primaries.



“Consistently, one of the biggest things I spent my money on is on public infrastructure…Because this is an NPP stronghold and so it is my responsibility to make sure that the NPP people appreciate that their people are in government. So, if someone says I am the regional minister, the question you should ask is why did they not put the same question when I was in opposition and working hard and doing all the developments I was doing. I was also winning the primaries! Why were they running away when we were in opposition? Why were they were making money and keeping it to themselves. How come they did not invest some of their money in the party. How come that even when we came to power, they didn’t say that they have made so much money so they will build us a very beautiful party but it was I who did”.

He insisted some members of the party, some of who benefited from him, kept their money and only resurfaced when an opportunity was created in the form of a parliamentary contest.

“If the thing is not for them, they don’t put any investment in the party. But our party people are wiser than their antics. We want people to put in their money even when we are in opposition. We want them to spend time with our party members even when we are in opposition. We want them to attend youth for change programmes even when we are in opposition and contribute. We want them to work for the party and will not run away and wait for an election year and come out…”

He stated that he is going into the parliamentary primaries with all the confidence that he has been able to deliver on his promises to the party and his constituents.

“I believe that all the promises I promised them am delivering on them. In opposition I did not complain about quitting. And I didn’t give excuses for not doing something…We will deliver for our delegates to also know that their party has come and they are getting benefits. One of the benefits is about jobs and they are getting the jobs, if it is about loans, they are getting loans. Above all we respect and serve them in humility. We don’t lie all because we want a position.”

Kwabena Otchere Darko Mensah will have to beat competition from three other aspirants, two of whom have contested him in previous parliamentary primaries, to be a member of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.