Abodakpi Slams NPP

The Ghana Ambassador to Malaysia, II. E. Dan Abodakpi has taken a swipe at the erstwhile New Patriotic Party (NPP) government for consciously abusing the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) instituted by the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, under Ex-President Rawlings. According to him, the GetFund which was intended to help students in acquiring infrastructural facilities in their various institutions had been misapplied by the previous NPP government as a chunk of it had been used on funding politically conceived projects of the NPP. H. E. Dan Abodakpi also indicated that reports he had received indicated that part of the GETfund has been over committed for the next four 4 years on resources that one cannot imagine that a government which claimed to be committed to the plight of students and hence education would do. Hon. Abodakpi averred that the NPP government had seriously pursued an agenda of vindictive politics against its political opponents and had forgotten to pay critical attention to the plights of the polytechnic students. He pointed out that the NPP is paying dearly for the agenda it had pursued against Ministers of the National Democratic Congress to the extent of pushing them into prison. According to Dan Abodakpi, the verdict alone by the people on December 7, 2008 is enough for the numerous inhumane nature of their eight years administration. He ascribed that the past 8 years of rule by the NPP had left no legacy but great animosity in the hearts of many Ghanaians adding that Ghana had been divided on ethnic lines and this according to him, has greatly affected the progress of the people in general. Dan Abodakpi noted that Ghanaians must rather take advantage of the diversification of their ethnicity and manipulate it to become their source of strength, referring to United States of America as a nation which is built upon ethnic diversity and now become the world�s super power. The Ghanaian Ambassador to Malaysia was addressing a mammoth gathering of students of the Accra polytechnic over the weekend when an NDC student wing at the polytechnic, the Tertiary Education Institution Network (TEIN), held a forum under the theme, �Redefining TEIN: With close look at our Heroes.� Hon Abodakpi said it sounds very weird for anybody to believe that even though there is a GETFund, tertiary institutions like the Accra Polytechnic among other Polytechnics would continue to cry for support. He mentioned that it is very important for any government to place priority on Polytechnic education as that is where the bulk of the nation�s human resource lies. He added that the dream of Ex-President Rawlings and the NDC was to see Ghana having its per capital income move beyond US$400 to US$1000 by 2015 and also to become a middle income nation, saying that that dream was what enabled the then NDC government to bring to life the GETfund and built Polytechnics in all ten regions of the country. Dan Abodakpi also reiterated that the current NDC government would pursue the agenda of its past as it is also determine to right the wrong that were committed by the previous NPP administration. The Atta Mills NDC government will make sure that the dreams of the past NDC government under Jerry John Rawlings are truly consummated within our agenda of building a better Ghana,� he stated. Speaking on the theme for the occasion, �Redefining TEIN: With close look at our Heroes,� H.E. Dan Abodakpi said that the theme came at the right time when Ghana is celebrating one of its greatest sons of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. According to Dan Abodakpi it was the ideals that Nkrumah represented that brought to many the spirit of patriotism to fight for just course in order to build a better society. He indicated that redefining TEIN and its future is a very welcoming idea that no true member of the Umbrella fraternity can turn down. He continued by saying that despite the fact that the there were many people in the independence struggle, it was rather the vision, mission, the tenacity of purpose and organizational skills of Nkrumah that made it possible for Ghana to attain independence in 1957 and not at a latter day as others envisaged. The Ambassador noted that ex President Jerry John Rawlings cannot be left out from the list of many great heroes of our time as the contribution to the development of Ghana and the advancement of its economic and social values internationally has greatly affected the lives of the people of Ghana. He was taking by surprised by the talks by many who believed that colonialism, neo-colonialism and imperialism are things of the past and that they are not worth talking about. He explained that the morals of imperialism and colonialism in view of the struggle for neo-colonialism is as true today, as it was yesterday, adding that, �and until the black race recognize the fact that it was colonialism and imperialism that allowed and influenced our struggle for change and thereby redefining our future we will continue to remain at where we are.� He made reference to the EPA Agreement, saying that Ghana is not being forced to sign onto the EPA but it will remain producers of raw materials that it will remain producers of raw materials that will be purchased at cheap prices to other countries, processed and re-sold to us at huge prices. H.E. Dan Abodakpi also mentioned that it was when imperialism was overcome that Nkrumah defined the nature of struggle into the future, saying that unless Ghanaians are able to overcome the yoke of colonialism that they continue to find themselves in, they will continue to remain at the mercy of colonialist. �The youth need to redefine their future in this looming danger,� he cautioned.