A Former Diaspora Youth Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Spain, Hanson Dartey, has revealed he has defected to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) because the NPP has lost its value.
He stated that the NPP has been infiltrated by various ideologies that are not unique to the party, and emphasized that these new ideologies are not in line with his own ideological inclinations.
He indicated that the main ideology of the NPP was to fight against corruption, noting however, that the NPP’s foreign ideology replacing this is the promotion of corruption in the incumbent NPP government.
He noted that the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is not effective in the fight against corruption. He called the institution a scam and noted that the government is wasting resources on the OSP.
“Before Nana Addo came to power, everybody knew that he hated corruption. So we were 100% sure that he would fight against corruption but you are a witness to it. You are in Ghana, you know how Ghana is moving now. Currently, if you send goods through the port there are a lot of taxes”.
Hanson Dartey
Furthermore, he questioned the justification of the COVID tax on goods, arguing that Ghana had only recorded a few COVID-19 cases. He believes that the COVID tax levied on goods at the port and other places is unnecessary.
He noted that the increase in utility tariffs and other challenges that Ghanaians are experiencing under the current administration have informed his decision to defect from the NPP.
Mr. Dartey observed a change in the President’s attitude from when he freshly won power in 2017 till now. “When he assumed office, the way he preached ‘Ghana beyond Aid’. You see, he is no longer saying that and there is a disunity in the party now” he added.
More Losses For The NPP
According to Mr. Hanson Dartey, around one hundred people are joining him in defecting from the NPP in Spain. He mentioned that his decision to leave the party has influenced many others in Ghana to follow suit and sever ties with the NPP to join the NDC instead.
However, the Deputy General Secretary of the NPP, Haruna Mohammed, stated that Mr. Dartey is not listed as an organizer on the party’s executive list. He further added that he would need to verify if Mr. Dartey was indeed a Youth Organizer in Spain.
Coming to the defense of the NPP, Mr. Mohammed indicated that contrary to the opinion of Mr. Dartey, the values of the NPP have not changed. “Maybe he has lost touch with the values of the NPP”, he added.
“One of the values is competition, the NPP has always encouraged competition. We went through the polling station…the regional and national elections and went through the parliamentary and presidential elections. We encourage competition”.
Haruna Mohammed
He further stated that the NPP values property-owning democracy and supports businesses by creating an enabling environment for them.
According to Mr. Mohammed, while the New Patriotic Party (NPP) does prioritize tackling corruption, it is not necessarily a core or defining value of the party. He stated that it is a strategic policy direction that the party has chosen to pursue.
More so, he noted although the NPP has not fulfilled all of Ghana’s needs, the government’s performance shows that it can improve the lives of Ghanaians if it is given another opportunity to govern.
He noted that despite the issue with Mr. Dartey, the party is prepared for the upcoming General Election which is scheduled to be held in December.
He noted that the party is determined to abide by the rules and regulations mentioned in the 1992 Constitution and will make every effort to ensure that they secure the highest number of votes possible.
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