Rich or Poor, NDC to Win Next Elections - Party Chief

IN spite of the fact that lack of funds has forced the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to close down most of its regional, district and constituency offices, party chief scribe Josiah Aryeh says it will give the ruling party a run for its money in next year's general elections.

Chronicle has gathered that most of the NDC offices are under lock and key while some of the landlords are demanding their rents and threatening to eject the party from operating in their premises.

But the general secretary of the party says the financial crisis facing the party is not a new thing to any opposition party. But he was quick to add that the party is sourcing funds to get its offices to operate.

According to him, irrespective of the financial situation of the NDC, it is quite determined to make the NPP government gnash its teeth for failing to raise the living standards of the people.

When Chronicle asked Dr. Aryeh whether the present condition of his party meant that the NDC used state funds to pay rent on its offices and run the party generally when it was in power, he responded in the negative, contending that most people who gave their premises to the party on voluntary basis have now turned round to retrieve the premises because they are no longer getting some material gains they used to get when the NDC was in power.

The secretary maintained that the NPP which enjoyed sympathy from the general public, especially workers with low remuneration, would be gnashing its teeth in the next general elections.

He told Chronicle that whereas the NDC has chalked considerable support from the masses through the 'March for Survival' and is determined to unseat the ruling government, the latter is only bent on diagnosing the march as a revival march for the party.

According to the law lecturer he was dismayed by the NPP's inability to get the import of the demonstration by the NDC to sit up and ensure that citizens can afford three square meals a day.

He described the assertions of the NPP as nothing but a baseless and unfounded propaganda, adding that those who made such remarks are not reading between the lines.

"For somebody to describe the march for survival of the NDC as a march for revival of the party is rather unfortunate as it fails to face the realities of the plight of the ordinary citizens who cannot get their three square meals a day, let alone pay for the astronomical fuel hikes and school fees.

"All the by-elections were blessings in disguise for the NDC as it enabled us to know exactly how the NPP operates as well as their determination to win all the elections. They have opened the way for us to know the scale of the problem and we can now be sure that we are quite determined to give the NPP a hard fight."

He said the challenge for the party now is how to sustain the support that they chalked during their demonstration and hold on its message till 2004.

Asked how the party would galvanize its message, the NDC scribe noted that the party would be organizing seminars and public fora to educate not only the people in the cities but also people in the rural areas.