The Ashanti regional branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has described the reasons alluded to by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for Tuesday’s massive demonstration in the metropolis as “disgusting and parochial”.
It explained that the NPP was trying to score cheap political points by capitalising on recent challenges in the country, especially the electricity problems, as though the government of President Mahama was deliberately punishing the people of the region.
Mr Raymond Tandoh, the Regional Secretary of the NDC, told the Daily Graphic in Kumasi that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) had on countless occasions denied the claims by the Ashanti Regional NPP, yet they had turned deaf ear to it and capitalised on it.
On Tuesday, the NPP branch in the Ashanti Region led by Members of Parliament from the region, national and regional officers held a massive demonstration in the Kumasi metropolis to register the party's displeasure at and abhorrence of the increasing hardship in the region.
Dubbed "Yaye den?”, to wit, “what have we done?”, the demonstrators poured their outburst against what they called economic hardship, continuous power-cuts which is collapsing businesses and a long period of piloting of the capitation of the National Health Insurance in the region with its attendant negative implication.
Efforts by government
But Mr Tandoh said the NPP should be made aware of the frantic efforts, including short, medium and long term strategies instituted to fix the recurrence of the power supply problem of the country.
“The demonstration, we all know, was geared towards attracting unnecessary public attention and also cause fear and panic in this peaceful country of ours. This has been the hallmark of the NPP as a political party”, he claimed.
He described the large numbers of the demonstrators as “borrowed crowd” and according to him, there were clear evidence that the NPP provided money and buses for their supporters to come from all over the country to swell up the numbers.
NHIS Capitation
On the piloting of the capitation in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which the NPP called for its withdrawal in the region, Mr Tandoh explained that the piloting had the blessing of Dr Richard Anane, the NPP MP for Nhyaeso and the ranking member on health.
He described as untrue the claim that the capitation was only in Ashanti. According to him, the capitation had been extended to the three northern regions and the Volta Region and wondered why the NPP wanted to make capital out of that.
Ethnocentrism
Mr Tandoh took a swipe at the organisers of the demonstration for their ethnocentric posture, by tagging the demonstration “Yaye den?” just to incite Ashantis against President Mahama, to paint the picture as if President Mahama had, on the basis of hatred, intentionally caused pain and hardship to the people.
“Thank God the people in the region and Ghanaians in general are very discerning and have time and again proved that they would never be hoodwinked by such nation-wrecking strategies,” he added.
Projects
He reminded the organisers of the demonstration that the NDC had connected 56 communities in the Sekyere Odumase District to the national grid, making the total electricity coverage in the region 86 per cent, which is the highest in terms of national coverage.
Mr Tandoh said the government was reconstructing deteriorated major roads within the Kuamsi metropolis such as Akwatia Line, the Sawaba Road, and Ash Town - Doctor Mensah.
He also mentioned the upgrading of the Kumasi Airport and the construction of an 11.5 kilometre second-class asphalt road from Ahinasu to Sekyere.
No demonstration
Asked if the NDC would organise a counter demonstration, Mr Tandoh was empathic that the party would concentrate its energies on assisting the government to make Ghana a better country for all.
