�Jake�s Only �Achievement� As Minister Was To Buy His Bungalow�

A member of the NDC Communications team has described as laughable, attempts by the opposition New Patriotic Party to label President Mahama and his Vice Kwesi Amissah-Arthur as perennial under-achievers incapable of steering the affairs of state to better the lives of Ghanaians. Dela Edem singled out NPP chairman Jake Obetsebi Lamptey for mention asking, �What was Jake�s achievement as Minister? There is not a single thing that you can point to as Jake�s achievement as Minister. The only thing he did was to buy his official bungalow for Ghc300,000 when he was leaving office.� The NDC communicator made the assertion on Adom FM�s Dwaso Nsem on Wednesday 15, 2012 while commenting on a news conference organized by the NPP the day before, to welcome President Mahama and his Vice to the electioneering campaign. Addressing the press at the NPP headquarters, Party chairman Jake Otanka Obetsebi Lamptey described the Mahama/Arthur team as �spare tyres� who between them had run Ghana�s economy into the ground while serving as head of government�s Economic Management Team and Governor of the Bank of Ghana respectively. The NPP also alluded to incidents and perceptions of corruption leveled against President Mahama and called for a change in Ghana�s leadership and direction by voting for Nana Akufo-Addo in the December 7 elections. However, in a sharp reaction, Dela Edem described the press conference as an example of the NPP�s age old- negative campaigning, attacking persons instead of the issues. "The person least qualified to make allegations of corruption or accuse anybody of incompetence was NPP chairman Jake Otanka Obetsebi Lamptey, having previously served as a Chief of Staff and Minister of State but with no achievements to his credit", Mr Edem insisted. �Jake said a lot of things, including corruption and achievements. Jake was a member of President Kufuor�s government as Chief of Staff, but because he was incompetent he was removed and made Minister for Information, but again because he was incompetent he was made Minister for Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City. �There is not a single thing you can pinpoint in this country and say �Jake brought this about when he was minister� for eight (8) years. Rather, he bought the bungalow he stayed in as Minister of State for 8yrs. If you go by the UN definition of Jake, what he did was corrupt. Today he is talking about John Mahama and STX deal. �When you compare Jake to the achievements of NPP Ministers of state like Addo Kufuor, Osafo Maafo and the late Baah Wiredu, you can see his achievements were completely unacceptable, that�s why he won only 20 votes when he was vying for the NPP flagbearership. �He should stop this politics of personality attacks and provide the alternative solutions that NPP can offer Ghanaians.� The NPP panel member and MP for Nkoranza North, Major Derek Yaw Oduro (rtd) however accused Dela Edem of deliberately twisting facts to suit his submissions and fuel the NDC propaganda machine. Citing the acerbic language and insults heaped on former President Kufuor including a comparison with perhaps the most infamous armed robber in Ghana, Ataa Ayi, and the description of the NPP flagbearer contest of 2007 as a contest between 17 thieves to choose the head thief, Maj. Oduro insisted the NDC was always the first to insult but cry foul when met in equal measure. �NDC is the originator of politics of insults. Instead of finding ways to make the lives of Ghanaians better, they are always insulting and twisting facts. Retired soldiers are not getting their pension. One time NHIS premium is not working. These are the things Ghanaians are worried about.�