Nduom Weeps Over economy

Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, the presidential candidate of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) for the 2008 elections, has lamented the current poor state of the Ghanaian economy.

To him, the deprived state of the local economy coupled with the inefficiency of several government institutions are the derivation of the mass unemployment and the outbreak of diseases, such as cholera.

“I am not saying the NPP or the NDC have done nothing for Ghana, but it is clear that their performance is suspect, and it is very sad that in this 21st Century we are still grappling with old diseases, such as cholera, and massive unemployment,” he noted.

Dr. Nduom said this on Unique FM in Accra yesterday when sharing his thoughts on a wide range of issues on the station’s morning show programme.

In his view, no developed economy or country would allow its capital city to be consumed by filth which, he insisted, could be used for the production of electricity and other essential activities.

“To say the least, I cannot comprehend why the whole Accra has been swallowed up by filth and it appears that there are no policies or structures to deal with it and this is happening in the 21st Century,” he emphasised.

Continuing, he expressed concern over the free range foreigners, particularly the Chinese, have to engage in retail business and other illegal activities in this country, and pointed out that they are some of the factors culminating in the impoverished state of the country.

In view of the aforesaid challenges, Dr. Nduom said, a CPP national administration would work to ensuring that the interest of local businesses are duly protected and held in high esteem.

He gave an account of the past achievements of the CPP under the leadership of Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and proposed that the party would introduce a new sense of hope and work in the Ghanaian polity to ease the translate of policies and visions into realistic programmes for the benefit of the people.

“… And in translating vision and good governance into realism we are going to make sure that the Chinese will not engage in illegal mining (galamsey). We will work to arrest the unemployment situation by brining the [fruits of our] economy back home.

“As we have always said, our principle of social justice will mean that we are going to share equally and put money into the pocket of the poor,” Dr. Nduom noted.

Touching on the state of affairs of the CPP, he admitted that party is going through turbulent period, but was quick to give the assurance that the party would be much stronger after its national congress later this year.

In his estimation, it is only when the CPP becomes strong by having a united front that it would be able to win an election to properly address the bottlenecks hampering the nation’s development projects and policies.

“The recent acrimony in the party is not so surprising because in every institution or political parties there are different people and different opinions, so it is possible that some of these things will come up.

“So I do not really see the hue and cry about them. Go into the NDC, the NPP and the rest of the political parties you will witness contention, or – if you like, bigger disagreement – so it is not all that worrisome. The issue at the end of the day is how we are going to ensure that we are going to move forward as one people,” Dr. Nduom said.

Answering questions on whether he would be vying for the flag bearership position of the party for the second time, he contended that he has set up an exploratory committee which is currently travelling around the country to ascertain the viability of his ticket.

According to him, it is the recommendations of that committee that will enable him determine or tell Ghanaians whether he would be contesting the party’s presidential slot or not.

“Aside from that, I am also talking to people through facebook and other forms of engagements, all in the name of sampling their views on my possible ticket and sharing ideas on matters of national importance so my decision will also be determined on the responds I receive,” he added.

In a show of openness to the party’s cause, Dr. Nduom said he was also prepared to rally behind whoever would emerge as the party’s flag bearer or is elected to occupy any office in the party. “The progress of the CPP surpasses every other interest,” he affirmed.