The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBRE), has criticized the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP) following a directive to prospective aspirants to pull down signages and billboards mounted at various location ahead of the party’s delegates conference in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital.
Gordon Newman Asamoah describes the order to remove erected campaign billboards and signages as dictatorial and non-democratic adding this may hurt the long standing democratic credentials of the party.
In a radio interview on Monday, December 13, Mr Asamoah stated,
“I’ve read the directives, but do not want to wade into whether or not people will go by it. Such conferences are avenues for contestants to showcase their interests and themselves to delegates and party leadership. And so to order removal of such campaign billboards and ban all activities associated with internal contest to me is undemocratic.”
“This is a clear sign of panic reaction. It depicts certain individuals and leaders have lost grounds and thus want to intimidate the new faces who have recently gained grounds. Over the years before nominations are opened, billboards are erected, this thing isn’t new in politics.”
“The fact that you’re a leader and feels threatened by another shouldn’t make you give such directives. People easily takes directive on the face value. But before such directives are issued, a lot goes into it, he added.
The NPP on December 10, ordered aspirants and their assigns to pull down erected billboards and or sign boards, banners or any kind of outdoor signage with the images and or names of individual members, ahead of its conference slated for Sunday, December 19, in the party’s stronghold.’
While some party supporters have called for a review of the directive, the party maintains it is a step in the right direction.
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH
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