Another Political Party Joins Fray

... Tag NPP As Corrupt
A NEW POLITICAL grouping, the Ghana National Party (GNP), claiming a hold on the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) social democracy philosophy is set to be outdoored next week when it receives its final certificate of registration from the Electoral Commission.

But even before his party is properly certified by the EC next Tuesday, February 20, 2007, the National Coordinator of the GNP, Mr Jackson Owusu, has started pouring invectives on the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), describing the ruling government as a bunch of politicians living at the expense of Ghanaians.

“They are enjoying at the expense of the masses”, he fired, insisting that the affluent lifestyles of ministers and MPs show that “they are misappropriating our funds”.

He also accused government of dabbling in massive corruption and therefore lacking the will to fight the canker, asking how could a ruling government call for evidence before investigating cases of corruption.

Speaking to the Gye Nyame Concord in Accra yesterday, the GNP man said any serious government would proceed to investigate matters of corruption to get its own evidence and proceed to prosecute whoever is involved.

According to him this is what the GNP stands for since “we have the state in mind” and that “when we get power we are not going to redeem ourselves and enjoy the nation’s wealth.”

According to Mr Jackson, if one does not investigate the issues, how could he get the evidence to fight corruption.

“If the issue crops up, you have to investigate and get the evidence to enable you proceed to court to prosecute”, he maintained, chiding the NPP government’s stand that if anybody has a problem with any government official concerning corruption, that person must support the claim with evidence.

To him, all Ghanaians wanted a change in 2000 when the NDC was in power, but the NPP has failed to meet the aspirations of Ghanaians.

“We know they can do it but they are refusing to do it”, he argued, pointing out that “we all helped NPP to come to power because we wanted a change”.

Mr Jackson noted that though the NPP has not failed Ghanaians, its performance is not enough to the meet the overall aspirations of Ghanaians and that he believes coming out with a new political party would solve the problem.

“We are coming to eradicate the mess in the system. There is a whole lot of mess in the system”, he claimed.

He said a GNP government won’t ask people to provide evidence before they investigate cases of corruption since the law courts are there to facilitate that.

Mr Jackson promised that the GNP is going to make a big impact on the political scene in the country because of its message which is to cater for all Ghanaians irrespective of political or ethnic affiliation.

He explained the GNP was born out of a US-based NGO, Save Ghana Now Association, and that about two-years ago there was a consensus to transform it into a political party to make it beneficial to all Ghanaians.

Therefore, on the 19th October, 2006, after presenting to the EC the party’s constitution, logo, manifesto and colours, they were given provisional certificate.

“A whole lot of NGOs are operating in the system, yet the country is stagnated and we are not receiving the kind of development we are expecting as Ghanaians”, he said, adding: “We thought that if we transform the NGO and the people of Ghana give us the mandate we could make sure the whole people of Ghana benefit”.

According to Jackson, the GNP is social democratic party that is not limited to one ideology but pick whatever is good from all the ideologies or philosophies of political parties.

He mentioned Mr Victor Ofori Ampofo, a US based Ghanaian engineer as the Interim Chairman with Dr Ofori Darku and Dr Danso Appiam, a co-founder of the erstwhile Ghana Democratic Republican Party (GDRP) in 1992, as other executives.

This party is set to receive its final certificate of registration from the EC on Monday