The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) has called on Ghanaians to do away with the widely held notion that Ghana is a two-party state with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parties being the only ones mandated to rule.
“Ghana is not and will not be a two-party state. We are calling on all parties to reject that notion…,” chairperson of the PPP’s Second Anniversary Celebration Committee, Mary Ankomah Boakye-Boateng, said this at a press conference organised by the party in Accra yesterday.
The PPP also used the press conference which was held at its headquarters to announce activities earmarked for its Second Anniversary celebrations.
The thought of Ghana being destined to be ruled by these two parties- the NPP and the NDC- Mrs. Boakye-Boateng said is against the moral fabric of the country’s constitution and freedom of association.
She continued that the notion and subsequent action taken by the electorate to make the two political parties as the only parties to rule the country has not been helpful.
According to her, both the NDC and the NPP have “failed woefully” in offering the best of leadership to drive Ghana forward.
“Since Dr. Kwame Nkrumah led our beloved country to political independence, Ghana has been denied that capable leader who will deliver on the promise of economic independence. While the country remains in dire need of that Redeemer to deliver her from economic bondage, the NDC and NPP; have disappointed Ghanaians over and over again, and are re-positioning themselves to yet again, to compete for power in the 2016 elections and keep Ghanaians in perpetual economic slavery…,” she stated.
Mrs. Boakye-Boateng said the problems of the country should largely be laid at the doorsteps of the two parties especially the NPP which has neglected its responsibility of offering workable solutions to the policies of the ruling government as a major opposition party.
…Unfortunately, the minority party in parliament is also myopically and busily occupied with internal party contest for national offices and flag bearer position and has abandoned their role as an effective opposition to scrutinize the work of the current administration,” she noted
The PPP, she said, has however been wide awake since its formation and has offered viable and workable alternatives to move the country forward.
These alternatives and suggestions, she said, include the party complying with various aspects of the political parties law by opening offices at the constituency, district, regional and national levels, and submitting audited accounts to the Electoral Commission.
She continued that the party has also played a critical role in bringing to the fore the issue of corruption in the country, met with the president and submitted to the Constitutional Review Implementation Committee (CRIC) various proposals on the proposed amendment of the constitution.
Mrs. Boakye-Boateng, who was the PPP’s 2102 parliamentary candidate for Mpohor constituency, said her party has put in place measures to better the lives of Ghanaians.
Touching on programmes lined up for the anniversary, she disclosed that the party will embark on a project to dig bole holes in rural areas where there is no available drinking water, and also organise symposia and lectures to educate the populace on policies of the PPP.
“The party {PPP] will identify communities with lack of clean water and offer our widow’s might to provide boreholes for these communities. This basic necessity of life is the responsibility of the government and the Ghana Water & Sewage Corporation (now Ghana Water Company.”)
…We are doing this because we believe the people deserve better living conditions than their present predicament,” she said.
For his part, Director of Operations of the party, Nana Ofori Owusu, said the economic crisis currently facing the country can be attributed not just to the lack of leadership but also one without the economic wherewithal to manage the resources of the country to the benefit of all.
To this end, he called on Ghanaians to vote PPP which has the economic professionals and men and women of substance to improve the lot of Ghanaians.
He said the NDC and the NPP might seem to have the same number of professionals to manage the country, yet “these professionals lack the needed skills” and have lost touch with the reality on the ground.