NEF Not For Selling Tomatoes And Preparing Soup…

Former First Vice Chairman aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Michael Omari Wadie, has dismissed suggestions that his party is unpatriotic and bereft of any economic ideas saying the opposition party could not have contributed meaningfully to the event at such a short notice.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) described the NPP’s boycott of the just-ended National Economic Forum, as a stab in the back of Ghanaians, for political expediency.

“For an opposition political party whose mandate must be to offer pragmatic alternative policies to government, serve as a watch dog, and provide voice for cross-section of the electorate, to reject an opportunity to brainstorm on the National Economy, is unfortunate.

“The posture of NPP leadership affirms the perception that it has been destructive, and outmoded with modern day politics,” Joseph Kobina Ade Coker, NDC Greater-Accra Regional Chairman told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra on Wednesday.

“Boycotting the forum means the NPP and its functionaries have no moral grounds to criticize the outcome of the forum, or organize a surrogate press conference to pontificate on the national economy,” Mr. Ade Coker stated.

But setting the records straight on Okay Fm’s Ghana Decides program, Michael Omari Wadie averred that it was a deliberate attempt by the ruling NDC government to prevent the opposition NPP from attending the forum, hence the late invitation.

“We were not going to find ways of selling tomatoes, pepper and how to prepare soup but to discuss the economy of Ghana…..if you want us to provide meaningful contribution to the economy, you don’t invite us at short notice;….NPP is not known for shoddy works and we don’t attend programs with little or no insight because we plan before we do our things….they cannot take the personalities in NPP for granted by inviting us to attend a serious program about the economy at such a short notice….with such event it takes proper planning and I don’t think the NDC considered that before inviting NPP three days to the forum,” he chided.