Group demands probe into Blay buses
NORSAAC has called for a probe into the acquisition of the first 100 buses out of a total 275 by the Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to help generate income for the party.
NORSAAC, in a statement issued on Wednesday signed by its Executive Director, Mr Alhassan Mohammed Awal and copied to GNA in Tamale on Wednesday, said “This procurement within two years of assumption of power coupled with the strategic position of the NPP Chairman as the Board Chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation call for public interest.”
On the eve of the NPP’s Delegates Conference to elect national executives in Koforidua over the weekend, the then Acting Chairman of NPP, Mr Freddie Blay, who is now the elected Chairman, true to his promise, procured the first 100 buses out of the 275 he promised to distribute to all constituencies of the party to use to generate revenue to manage party activities.
This whole transaction is said to cost $11.4 million.
The statement, therefore, asked the Special Prosecutor and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice to respond with urgency to petitions before them calling for investigations into the matter.
It said the monetization of political activities never ensured inclusiveness adding the practice “Weakens the foundation of democracies and we must tread with caution.”
It said “We see resourcing of political parties as one of the significant steps in building a stable and progressive democratic culture but this should be done with transparency and expressed within the confines of our laws.”
The statement said “We have consistently expressed worry over how resources are wasted in both intra and inter-party activities” adding “NORSAAC has observed that our leaders are prioritizing party activities over bread and butter issues of citizens, who can undertake actions whose consequences will be too precarious to bear.”
It said “It is our belief that the action of the Chairman of NPP over the procurement of the 275 buses and display of same ahead of the recently held election does not ensure fair contest and set bad precedence.”
It said “NORSAAC, which is an empowerment for change organization and contributes to deepening the democratic space of the country, condemns this opulence and asks political parties to reverse the trend.”
The statement called on key stakeholders in governance to revisit the discussion on political party financing and enforcement of laws that regulate them.”
It also called on the media and civil society organizations to explore appropriate platforms to provide practical and evidence-based alternatives on resourcing political party structures in a transparent manner.
Source: GNA