Fishermen Vow To Show NDC The Exit Come December 7

Fishermen in the coastal community of Dixcove in the Ahanta West Constituency of the Western region last Saturday vented their spleen on President John Evans Atta Mills and his ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration over government�s poor performance in fishing communities. They have therefore vowed to show the NDC the exit come December 7, 2012. They noted that President Mills, who hails from a fishing community, has done virtually nothing to improve the living standards of fishermen and people residing in the fishing communities, particularly those in the Western region. They alleged that President Mills had failed to fulfill the numerous promises he made to fishermen in his campaign in 2008, stressing that the President was insensitive to the plight of fisher folks as they wallow in abject poverty, coupled with high cost of fishing gears. �When NPP was in power we were buying outboard motor for GH�2,500.00 on work and pay basis, but now we have to purchase the same item at a high cost of GH�9,000.00�, a fisherman alleged. Agya Ekow Mensah, a popular fisherman in the area, noted that President Mills, during his campaign in 2008, promised to reduce the cost of pre-mix fuel and make the product available to fishermen on regular basis to help make their lives better. He indicated that the current government had succeeded in politicizing the distribution and the sale of the fuel to the extent that if a fisherman was not a member of the ruling party, it would be very difficult for that person to get the product to even buy. These came to light when Daily Guide interacted with some of the fishermen during the visit of the 2012 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo to Dixcove, a fishing community in the Ahanta West District as part of his �Restore Hope Tour� of the Western region on Friday. Nana Addo�s tour of the Ahanta West constituency also took him to communities such as Cape Three Points, Apowa, Adwoa, Chavene and Agona Nkwanta. The NPP leader was happily welcomed by the people as they took turns to exchange pleasantries with him amid brass band music. Before addressing a gathering at a mini rally, Nana Addo and his team paid courtesy calls on chiefs of both Lower and Upper Dixcove where the traditional leaders outlined their concerns to the NPP presidential candidate. Nana Kwesi Agyeman IX pleaded with Nana Addo to ensure the appointment of some Ahantas as ministers of state and board members of certain organizations since 1992 the party has received not less than 65 per cent of the votes in all general elections. Nana Akufo-Addo assured the chiefs that Ghana would be put back on the pedestal of growth and development. He bemoaned the rate at which prices of goods were sky rocketing daily, adding that the price of cement was GH�7.00 when the NPP was leaving office but now the same product was being sold at GH�25.00. �These and many more are the reasons why Ghanaians should show the NDC the exit in the fast approaching general elections so that the NPP will come and fix the economy�, he added. The NPP leader expressed his commitment to providing free senior high school education for all and explained that any country that was serious about reducing poverty levels must tackle illiteracy. Nana Addo indicated that because of the discovery of oil in the Western region, the next NPP government would establish a petroleum institution in the region to train the youth to acquire the requisite skills for the lucrative jobs in the oil and gas industry. The NPP parliamentary candidate for Ahanta West, Samuel Johnfia observed that Ghanaians must vote the NDC government out of power in the December 7 elections to avoid a bleak future. He commended the people for their continuous support for the NPP and appealed to them to continue to support the party, adding that the �NPP will never disappoint you.�