Political stakes are ripe for CPP

Accra, Dec. 08, GNA - Mr. Bright Akwetey, a leading Legal Practitioner, on Friday said the political stakes are ripe for the Convention People's Party (CPP) to win Elections 2008. He said: "Ghanaians have gone through hardship for almost 16 years of a resemblance of democratic governance under both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP). "The cry now is CPP, the founder of the nation should come back and offer human centred governance to give true meaning of democracy," Mr Akwetey told newsmen in Accra.

Explaining his vision for Ghana, he said, "I look forward to a just, free and democratic society of hardworking and dignified people; proud of their culture and heritage and working diligently to promote their progress and prosperity within a new and equitable development paradigm".

Mr Akwetey said under his presidency he would provide alternative development strategy, which would be different from the policies of the NDC and the NPP in the provision of the basic necessities of life that would lead to a meaningful improvement in the lives of the ordinary Ghanaian.

He said he "believe that the State must not abdicate its responsibilities in society in the name privatisation. The State must neither shirk its responsibilities to the poor and marginalized in society, nor to the vulnerable and the afflicted. "The welfare of the people must be paramount in all planning schemes."

Mr. Akwetey also expressed his desire to build Ghana into a strong, powerful and self-reliant State with full control over its strategic assets and natural resources.

He said he wanted "to see Ghanaians as a proud, confident, disciplined and law-abiding citizens, whose standards of living is measured not in GDP terms, but also in terms of the extent to which the average Ghanaians can afford good quality education, shelter, clothing, food and employment and has the opportunity to travel in decent transport and on secure and safe roads".

He said his new development strategy would repose faith in the Ghanaian and ensure that the citizens were given the enabling environment to operate.

He said he would institute national awards to honour key discoveries and inventions in science and technology and also create the enabling environment for funding local industries that utilised the results of local discoveries, inventions and local raw materials. Mr Akwetey, a Former Chief State Attorney, said even though the country had made some success in the areas of human rights, democracy, stability and freedom of the press, there were doubts as to whether this freedom and seeming economic progress were well anchored to sustain accelerated development for the next 50 years.

He said, Ghana today had been reduced to a nation riddled with crime; corruption; insensitiveness and arrogance in high places; impunity and ineptness and selfishness with patriotism relegated to the back-burner. Mr Akwetey said there was general breakdown of law and order and a drift into recklessness, lawlessness and anarchy in the country. He said there was no dearth of laws in the country to deal with all these situations but what had been lacking were the willingness, the determination, and the courage to enforce the existing laws. 08 Dec. 07