YAM & NKOTOMIRE STEW! Nana Akufo-Addo shares a meal at Bontrase in the Central Region
It was a sad encounter on Wednesday when the 2012 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, took his listening campaign to Mbenyini Beach in the Central region to find out what issues and problems confronted the fishermen in their work.
The fishermen, who sounded extremely frustrated, took turns to speak about the problems and concerns that they have, all of them condemning the Mills administration for neglecting them.
They complained about the NDC’s refusal to continue a landing site that the NPP administration initiated before leaving power.
“Ever since the NDC came to power, the fishing trade has been very frustrating. We thought we were not happy about some issues with the Kufuor administration and so we voted for change but now we want a change again, and Nana we want it badly,” noted Ato, a fisherman.
“The NDC is making life difficult for us because they know it is premix (fuel) that we use for our work and yet the problems associated with obtaining premix are just too frustrating.
“The NDC has increased the price drastically, it is almost always in shortage and some of their party ‘big men’ also buy it and hoard it and when there is shortage, come and sell it to us at exorbitant prices.
“We are just tired with the NDC and Nana we will vote President Mils out in 2012,” noted another one.
Nana Akufo-Addo interacting with traders at the Old Market , Kasoa
Many of them also complained about the practice of using light for fishing which they say is collapsing their work.
“We have complained several times to the appropriate authorities and yet they refuse to do anything about it. In fact, the standard of living is worsening under this NDC government and the earlier we vote them out, the better it will be for all of us and our families,” noted another.
A young man who was almost in tears said, “If we want to talk about the NDC and the problems they have brought us, Nana, you won’t leave here today. They have brought divisions amongst us here. They recruited people that they know are their party people into ZOIL leaving the rest of us.
“President Mills has really disappointed us because during the campaign, he promised to take care of all our problems since he is also from the coast like us and that is why we voted for him but after winning power, he has rather deepened our problems and created more. We will vote him out in 2012.”
On his part, Nana Addo said, “I have listened attentively to all of you and the concerns you raise and I am deeply sorry about your plights. I am one of the people who never understood why the NDC scrapped the Ministry of Fisheries after winning power.”
He assured them that his policy team was working on introducing programmes and policies that would help raise the standard of living of fishermen, just as President Kufuor did with cocoa farmers.
“We have shown that we can do it and when we come back in 2013, we will build on the gains of President Kufuor,” Nana Addo said.
Nana Addo on Wednesday took his campaign to the Central region, starting with the Awutu Senya constituency.
He was at Kasoa, Bawjiase, Fakor, Akropong, Obrachire, Bontrase, Awutu and Senya, touring lorry stations, Zongo communities, markets, clinics, and going through the towns and villages, interacting with people, mostly on a one-on-one basis.
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