We Are Not Drug Dealers -NPP

...NDC hid many cocaine cases but we are exposing them
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has reacted to the recent comments by the NDC Presidential candidate, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills that Ghana is becoming a safe haven for drug dealers. Speaking at a well-attended press conference in Accra yesterday, the National chairman of the party, Peter Mac Manu said the NPP government does not deal in drugs.

He noted that the NDC regime hid many drug related cases from the eyes of the public, but NPP has so far not done that. According to him, when the former Member of Parliament for Nkoranza North, Eric Amaoteng was arrested for dealing in drugs, the party did not stand by him but allowed the law to take its due course.

Mac Manu also expressed surprise at the comments made by the NDC vice Presidential candidate, Hon. John Dramani Mahama that comparison of records was a sign of mediocrity.

“The question then is why the Vice Presidential candidate (John Mahama) of the NDC should be against such a comparison? Our message to the NDC is that the voters would not allow them to hide their record with such flimsy excuses. We believe that NDC has carefully considered the records and concluded that such a comparison would be unflattering to their party, because NPP has by far the superior record in government”, he stressed.

According to the party Chairman, comparison would not only be on track records but also about leadership style and vision.

“Let the debate be joined and let the inevitable comparison begins. Nana Akufo-Addo believes in Ghana”, he emphasised.

He said the task ahead was about convincing Ghanaians as to which of the parties seeking their mandate could be trusted to bring about the kind of economic transformation necessary to bring prosperity to all.

“Which party offers the kind of hope that the people can buy into? Which of the parties can be trusted to protect and promote multi-party democracy? Which party has shown the commitment to give us development and prosperity without compromising on the individual freedom? Which of the parties can be said to have the most persuasive and viable plans for creating a modern society, the kind for which our forefathers sacrificed their lives and died? Which of the Presidential Candidates best fits the bill?” he asked.

He noted that apart from the noise being made by the NDC against the ruling party, the electorate have resolved not to vote for the NDC to return to power. Peter Mac Manu said it was unfortunate that the NDC misled the public by stating that the party has turned a new leaf.

Flanked by the General Secretary, Nana Ohene-Ntow, Agnes Okudzeto, First Vice Chairperson, Mr. Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, National Campaign Chairman, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, Campaign Director, Dr. Arthur Kobina Kennedy, Communications Director, Hon. Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister for Children and Women Affairs and a host of others, Mr. Mac Manu noted that the slogan, the theme, the songs and other things branded as new by the NDC were all cosmetic.

On the issue of corruption, Mr. Mac Manu said the NPP has passed laws on public procurement and financial management whist holding the first ever Public Accounts Committee of Parliament hearing in public.

This, he said was evident in Nana Akufo-Addo’s pronouncements last month to the effect that his government will fight corruption vigorously.

Whilst admitting that the difficulties that many Ghanaians face, especially in urban environments with respect to housing, water shortage and poor sanitation, he noted that conscious efforts are being made to address the challenges.

He further noted that “even if the NDC honestly concedes that they are changing in order to attract more voters, is there any convincing evidence that the NDC’s change is genuine,” he asked rhetorically.

He thus asked the NDC as a party to pray for their sins and plead for forgiveness before the electorate can consider them and accept the genuineness of their proclaimed new image.

Mr. Mac Manu was, however, not clear about the NDC’s move to revive the infamous cadres of the defunct P/NDC and opined, “To what purpose, it is not clear. Let us hope that it is not sinister.”

For him, the coming election is about choices, stressing that “in terms of the Presidential candidate, the reality still remains that the Ghanaian electorate is limited to choosing between the NPP and NDC”.

The NPP therefore appealed to Ghanaians to think deeply about the choices before them since according to the party, “we cannot afford to take this country back. The NDC is artfully urging Ghanaians to discard their collective memory of P/NDC that squandered the opportunities they had in almost two terms in office.” He noted that the NDC cared very little during its days in government, since nursing mothers were routinely being detained in hospitals because they could not afford the cash and carry system.

“In 2003, the NDC refused to support one of the most innovative and pro-poor programme in recent history, the National Health Insurance Schemed (NHIS). The NDC chose to walk out on their responsibility as law makers when babies, nursing mothers and the elderly were in need of a more humane health care system”, he emphasised.

According to him, the NHIS was passed into law without a single NDC vote, adding that perhaps the new NDC needs to educate the public on why they voted against the NHIS and yet in their 1996 manifesto, the NDC promised that “feasibility studies on the proposed health insurance scheme have been completed and the scheme would be tested on a pilot basis and would be introduced on the national scale as part of the NDCs health policies, if successful,”