<<Print>>

General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwabena Agyepong has indicated his party's resolve to hold the ruling party accountable in the financial management of the country to Ghanaians. According to him, the NPP will ensure that there is true transparency in how the NDC is using state resources. �We shall hold their feet to the fire and make sure Ghanaians are aware of how the country�s resources are been used,� he added. Mr. Kwabena Agyepong made the remarks during an interview with AdomTv to assess the performance of the 6 years administration of the NDC government. Statutory payments Touching on payments to statutory bodies, the NPP General Secreatry claimed "government has refused to make statutory payments to the healthcare authorities", and noted with concern that the pro-poor policies such as the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and the Free Maternal Healthcare which began under the erstwhile NPP administration are on the verge of collapse. "Other statutory payments such as the district assembly common funds, GETFUND etc are all in arrears even though citizens continue to pay their taxes,� he added. He stressed that, �During the festive season, about 27 women were held at the maternity ward of the Korle Bu Teaching hospital and La-Poly clinic for 3 weeks for non-payment of bills. A private company had to come to their rescue by paying their bills to ensure their release. We expected that the NHIS and Free Maternal Healthcare which began under the NPP administration would have been strengthened 6 years into the NDC administration; however, the reverse seems to be the case. Without money, people cannot access free and quality medical care. Corruption He expressed his dissatisfaction with the $29million which government claimed to have used for the rehabilitation of the Kumasi Airport. He added that, �It is not possible for government to use $29million for the resurfacing of the runway. As an Engineer, I have done civil works at the airport and I know what goes into it. The NPP is going to write and request for the details of the project. Ghanaians demand value for money and not to be short-changed�. Touching on the oil revenue, he said that the government has refused to be transparent with the actual revenues being generated from the oil exploration and how much has been accrued into the heritage fund. He believes that the government is been secretive as far as the oil management and its finances are concerned. Mr. Kwabena Agyepong disclosed that the European Union (EU) has withheld its support to Ghana as a result of the corruption and dubious natureof the government pay-roll system. He was convinced that the government officials have not shown clarity and consistency in the finances of the country. Failed Promises He stated that the President Mahama administration �has been a government of failed promises� and �is only interested in elections instead of the management of the economy�. He stated further that the NDC believes in public deceit and propaganda just to win elections. �In 2009, President John Mahama led a team to South Korea to negotiate with STX Korea to build 200,000 units of houses for the security agencies and other public sector workers, however, till date not a single house can be shown for that. This notwithstanding, the country had to pay for insurance and commitment fee for the loan it negotiated for the STX housing project�. According to him, the government lied about the one-time health insurance premium promise they made to Ghanaians and that no country in the world has been able to implement such an insurance policy. The NPP Gen Sec urged the President to sit-up and work for the betterment of Ghanaians and also stop the wastage of public funds within the system. He was however confident that the NPP will win the 2016 general elections and form the next government.