Ghanaian opposition parties are reportedly in unity talks aimed at forming a coalition to defeat President John Kufuor's ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in this December general elections. The founder and leader of the newly formed opposition United Renaissance Party said the alliance talks would also ensure the opposition parties present a single presidential candidate in the general elections. Kofi Wayo said the move is the best way to ensure defeat of the ruling party, adding that recent polls show there would not be a clear winner in the first round of the December vote.
The parties reportedly involved in the talks are the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Convention People's Party (CPP) and the United Renaissance Party. Kofi Wayo is one of the leading figures of the unity talks. He tells reporter Peter Clottey from Ghana's capital, Accra that the alliance is the pragmatic way of winning the December election.
"In Africa, the way that the big men make money is by exploiting their people, and everybody wants to be president so they can chop (squander) the money. So the opposition parties have a problem because they all want to get in there and be president, so I'm trying to teach them that if you love your country, you don't have to be president. Let's all join together as a unified opposition and let's liberate the country from those who call themselves leaders. President John Kufuor and his government do not believe in democracy. They don't even know what it is," Wayo noted.
He described as unfortunate President Kufuor's government insensitivity towards providing for the ordinary Ghanaian.
"You know, over 100 children die a day here and the president's priority is to buy two luxury jets. They are wearing three thousand dollar suits, a thousand dollar shoes, and a 50-million dollar jet. And go to beg the white man for one million bucks. How can you be riding in a 50-million dollar jet and you go beg? So that is why you cannot say the white man is a racist or anything because when the British were here, they treated the Africans with dignity. The whites were far nicer to the black man than the African to their own people," he said.
Wayo said there was need for Ghanaians to emulate some of the tenets that make America great.
"I told them that in America where I grew up, they say we hold this truth to be self-evident that all men are created equal. You got to have some dignity and you've got to have a home, a social housing among others," he said.
Wayo said although some of the opposition leaders were skeptical about the alliance, they agreed that it was viable, adding that the United States wants Ghana to succeed.
"They never thought about these things, but a couple of them think it was the right thing to do. I told them the people of United States want to see a success story in Africa, and the only way we can do it is not by begging. That even if we had started a hundred thousand acres pawpaw farm, we could make enough money to support ourselves instead pf begging. But the African ruler is taking the dignity of the people, and I'm trying to change all that," Wayo pointed out.
Wayo said there was need to change the ruling New Patriotic party in this December election.
"I have been talking to them (opposition parties) and they have been listening. So I tell them that we are faced with a group of people who are very merciless, anti-God, anti-Christ people, who I think are worse than al-Qaeda. So let's all get together, forget about your personal ambition and let's think of God, and save our people. Our people have no water and have no light, but the president doesn't care, and the ministers do not care. So let's all get together so we can all save our nation. They are beginning to buy that a little bit," Wayo pointed out.
He said the United States should cut aid to Ghana since he claims it is not put to good use.
"I'm appealing to the United States government to stop giving aid to these people. The aid does not get to anybody because only the big men get it and send all their children overseas. The teachers are not well paid and we are going to change that, and that is what we are going to do," he said.
source : VOA
http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/2008-10-16-voa2.cfm
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