Vodafone �Sabotaging� NPP

Information available to the New Statesman indicates that telecommunications giant, Vodafone-Ghana, is engaging in acts, which could at best be described as sabotage, aimed at disrupting the fundraising drive of the opposition New Patriotic Party. According to sources at the party�s headquarters, instead of the agreed deduction of GH�1 per person who decides to contribute to the NPP�s campaign for 2012 or as a means of paying his or her dues, Vodafone is unilaterally deducting GHp10 instead. This is not the only problem or source of discontent the party has with Vodafone, sources at the party�s headquarters further disclosed. �Supporters, sympathisers and well-wishers of the party have on numerous occasions complained to the leadership of the party about the difficulty in contributing and paying their dues to the party through the Vodafone network in particular,� the source explained. What is worrying is that party members and sympathisers cannot tell whether the Ghp 10 being deducted will accrue to their account as contributions or to Vodafone as the cost of text messages. This, according to the source, will generate a lot of apathy for the telephony company. The NPP hierarchy has registered its displeasure at the turn of events with management of the telecommunications company, �but all have fallen on deaf ears�, the party source said yesterday. Hints picked up by this paper indicate that some board members appointed by the Mills-Mahama administration, who are bent on ensuring the demise of the political fortunes of the NPP in the run-up to the 2012 elections, are behind this clandestine activity. �We find this mind boggling and a breach of trust, which does not augur well for business in our country�. This is an innovative and purely business transaction that inures to the benefit of both entities and is sad that it is being sabotaged�, the source added. It is recalled that the leadership of the NPP, prior to the launch of the electronic dues payment and contribution system, faced problems from Vodafone and Mobile Telecommunications Network as these two companies were seen to be frustrating the attempts of the NPP in acquiring the preferred short-code of �2012�. Not surprisingly, instead of releasing the �2012� short-code for use, Vodafone rather gave the NPP the �+2012� short-code. On October 31, National chairman of NPP, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, launched the party's electronic payment system, which also gives party sympathizers an opportunity to contribute to the fundraising efforts of the party. The system, which operates in different categories, requires card-bearing members of the party to text NPP, and their party ID card number to the following networks and their corresponding short codes: Airtel � 2012, Expresso � 2012, Tigo � 2012, Vodafone � +2012, and MTN � 12012 Non-card bearing members can also text to the above-mentioned short codes by sending NPP and their name to the codes.