NPP scores 75% for high performance -NPP scribe

THE KUFUOR-led New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has scored 75% marks for upgrading the living standard of Ghanaians according to the assessment of Mr. George Ayisi Boateng, a founding member of the party who has also commended the government for the bold step it took to join the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.

Ayisi-Boateng, an executive member of the NPP finance committee in the Ashanti region who made this assessment in an interview with The Chronicle while previewing NPP?s chances in election 2004, asserted ?it is only someone who has made up his mind not to see anything good about the party and not appreciative enough, that can discredit the efforts of the government?.


According to him, it would be wrong to hold onto the belief that the NPP has ?performed poorly? because, as far as governance is concerned, it is impossible to satisfy the needs of each individual in a human institution.


Alluding to the notion that somebody?s food is another man?s poison Ayisi Boateng said it would not be surprising that somebody from the opposition will disagree with him.


Mr. Ayisi-Boateng has, however, faulted the establishment of the office of accountability, which was to drastically deal with corruption.


According to him enough has not been achieved as expected, but dismissed the assertion that the office created is just an appendix.


He attributed the short fall in fighting corruption to what he termed a ?deep rooted canker of corruption? among some people of the nation.

According to him, President Kufuor?s declaration for zero tolerance for corruption should not be seen as a hoax, because he means it in the strictest sense.


The former Director of Finance of Kumasi Asante Kotoko, cautioned that any government official found to have indulged in any corrupt practice would not be spared and added that allegations of corruption involving functionaries of the ruling government in the media are all perceptions which could not be substantiated.


On the recent report on corruption in which Ghana placed the 13th position out of 20 countries, Ayisi Boateng argued that the report could not pinpoint any specific area or people involved and tagged it as ?vain?.


He believed that President Kufuor has no questions to answer on promises made during the last general elections, as past governments were not held for non-fulfillment of their campaign promises.


According to Ayisi-Boateng almost 85% of campaign promises have been achieved by the government and threw a challenged to critics to disprove this assertion.