NPP Receives More Flak

The Leader of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), Dan Lartey (aka Domestication) has lashed out at the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), describing it as a government that has no forthrightness.

"They have no answers to the problems of this country. They are only in there for things to take their own shape and the whole country is in jeopardy," the GCPP leader said.

Speaking to The Chronicle on Thursday on a wide range of issues, including the December 2004 general election and the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC), Mr. Lartey described the elections as crucial, but predicted a win for the Great Coalition, comprising the GCPP, People's National Convention (PNC) and the Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere (EGLE) party.

He said Ghanaians voted the National Democratic Congress (NDC) out of power in the 2000 elections because the people were expecting a change in their lives at the time the economy was in a bad shape under the PNDC/NDC.

The NPP, which came in to correct the mess of the NDC, has failed miserably in achieving this objective. "They have no plans," he added.

"People are now very worried and I can see that, that is likely to change their minds at the poll," Dan Lartey asserted.

He accused the government of not doing much to improve the livelihood of the people since coming into power. The roads are still in bad shape, school fees have sky- rocketed and the society is so disorganized.

When it was pointed out that the government has made some modest achievements, that it has been able to at least stabilize the economy, Lartey said the NPP has nothing to rejoice over because it has not been able to achieve its budgets through internally generated revenues and companies are folding up.

"The budget is based on donor receipts, HIPC initiatives and unproductivity. We want a budget which can be achieved through internally generated revenue."

The veteran politician said he believes that a government of his Great Coalition would bring a budget that would cover the 37 wasted years excluding Nkrumah's nine-years rule.

On the NRC Lartey dismissed the perception by some individuals, especially those of the NDC that it was set up primarily to target members of the former regime and the ex-president in particular.

He said there were lots of atrocities committed by armed men during the PNDC regime and people need to reconcile.

He suggested that some form of compensation should be given to families, who one way or the other suffered after their breadwinners were taken away.

He said he sees no further reasons why the NDC should be linking itself with the PNDC, when in effect they are two separate regimes.

For him, if a member of the PNDC, who became part of the NDC, is found to have committed any atrocities in the past, that individual should be called to appear before the NRC and the NDC as a party should have no problem with that.

Asked whether former president Rawlings should be forced to appear before the NRC, Lartey said, "why not, if he has questions to answer he should be made to come and answer."