General News of Thursday, 29 January 2004
Source: GNA
Accra, Jan. 29, GNA- Alhaji Mumuni Abudu Seidu, NDC-Wa Central, Thursday said "there is no doubt that since the NPP government came into power, security has improved appreciably and armed robbery activity has reduced significantly."
He said "we can now sleep in peace and have no fears about armed robbery attacks as used to be the case in the past", adding that there was however more room for improvement.
Alhaji Seidu made the remark during the debate on the President's State of the Nation Address in parliament, following a motion by Alhaji Malik Al-Hassan Yakubu, Deputy Majority Chief Whip on January 27, 2003 for the house to thank the president for the address and to debate it.
He said "but for the seldom instance of government interference in the activities of the security agencies in the country, there would have been better improvement in facilities available to them."
Alhaji Seidu urged the NPP government to desist from interfering with the activities of the security agencies and continue to provide them with the needed facilities and allow them to work.
He alleged that there had been several chieftaincy disputes, which sometimes degenerated in violent clashes, but due to government interference, the security agencies were not allowed to deal with culprits.
Earlier in his contribution to the debate, Alhaji Seidu said he praised the President for coming to the house in just two days after the opening of the fourth session to present his address, as against the normal two weeks after the opening of parliament.
He however stated, that "judging the President's address as a campaign speech, the President scored 95 per cent, but on the score of inspiration and direction for the nation he had only five per cent."
Alhaji Seidu said the President's speech contained loads of party flavour and absolute zero national flavour, explaining that the President praised his government for the little achievements they have chalked and conveniently blamed the NDC government for any problem over the past three years.
"The President succeeded in further polarizing the nation with his address," he said. "I thought he would use his experience as chairman of ECOWAS to unite the nation and ensure peace but he rather triggered sentiment of disunity."
Mr. Kwabena Tahiru Hammond, NPP -Adanse Asokwa, said the President had no obligation to be sensitive to anybody but to tell the truth, adding that the truth may sound insensitive to some but it cannot be sacrificed for falsehood.
He quoted biblical scriptures to support his assertion, saying that "though I am a Moslem, I know the President is a Christian and according the faith he, the President, professes, there were grave consequences for falsehood, no matter whose interest one is trying to protect." Mr. Hammond's submission generated about 20 minutes heated argument between the majority and minority sides of the house, on the political history and tradition of the NDC and NPP.
The majority in parliament sought to create the impression that the NDC cannot separate itself from the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), in that "at several portions of the NDC manifesto, the party has claimed the credit for the achievements of the PNDC so it must also associate itself with the failures of that regime."
The Minority on the other hand claimed that the NPP is a continuation of the United Party (UP) tradition and so it must also own up to the faults of that party.
At the forefront of the political history argument was Mr. Joseph Henry Mensah, Senior Minister, who was described as the "Lieutenant General of political history" and Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Education Youth and Sports, on the majority side, and Minority Leader Alban Bagbin, Mr. James Victor Gbeho, NDC-Keta, on the minority side.