The Propaganda Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has rebuffed calls by a pressure group and an NDC activist for the party to disclose the full cost of sponsoring about 500 football fans to South Africa.
In an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story on Thursday, the party’s Propaganda Secretary, Richard Quashigah, stated emphatically that the party owes nobody an apology and accountability, and accused those agitating for accountability of being “enemies of progress”.
“The party owes nobody an apology, the party owes nobody accountability matter here. I find it a very irrational line of thinking of those that are behind this. I think that these are enemies of progress.”
The government of Ghana sponsored 1,000 fans to the World Cup to cheer the Black Stars, while persons described by key persons in the NDC as philanthropists, are bearing the cost of sending about 500 more fans to the games.
The identities of the philantropists have not been disclosed, however the Progressive Nationalist Forum, a pressure group, and the NDC's own Ras Mubarak, who contested but lost the party's national youth organiser position, are unconvinced. See Ras Mubarak scoffs at government's sponsor of soccer fans.
They insist full disclosures on the costs and sponsors will help build transparency.
But Richard Quashigah sees the damand as far-fetched and has asked the inquisitors to back off or limit their demands to state-sponsored activities.
“I think that it is an absurdity, it is a very irrational line of thinking; the reason being that philanthropists, or individuals, business owners etc do support various causes because they have some interests in those causes.”
He buttressed his point with the saying that since it was not the tax payers’ money being used by the philantropists to sponsor the supporters, accountability must not be stretched beyond its lawful bounds, noting also that it was not the first time that people have sponsored events and have not been named.
"Accountability, that is when tax payers’ money has been spent, but if individual people decide to make available their money to support a certain cause, why then are we calling for the kind of accountability that they are talking about?"
He also told Myjoyonline.com that other criticisms questioning the prudence of the government's decision to fly supporters to the World Cup were unjustified since the action also falls within the fullfilment of the social needs of the people, including thier aspirations to be at the historic, first ever World Cup tournament to be hosted on the African continent.
But Richard Nyamah, spokesperson of the Progressive Nationalist Forum, disagrees with Mr Quashigah’s position.
He thinks the propaganda secretary is displaying symptoms of officials “intoxicated with power… explaining away their shamelessness”.
By the pressure group’s calculations, the entire sponsorship (government + philantropists), cost the tax payer no less than GHS6 million in transport, food, accommodation and entertainment.
They want President Mills to set up a committee to investigate the matter and also force the NDC party to disclose the names of the philanthropists sponsoring the about 500 fans.
They have warned that if the president fails to do this they will petition the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice to probe the saga.
Story by Isaac Essel/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana
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