PINA SHORT LISTS 29 TO SUPPORT

THE Platform for Independent National Alternatives (PINA) has shortlisted 29 people for support as independent parliamentary candidates in the upcoming elections.
The foundation is also yet to receive a response from Osahene Boakye Djan, who was contacted to be supported to run as an independent presidential candidate.
Osahene Boakye Djan is consulting with a wide spectrum of people before responding to the request of PINA and that would be given by May this year, Nana Akosa, the Spokesperson in charge of Operations of PINA, told the Daily Graphic in Accra.
He said the foundation was also making overtures to Messrs Alex Hammer and ????Amofa? Yeboah to support them as independent candidates for the presidential slot.
Although most parliamentary and presidential candidates of most political parties are far advanced in their campaign, Nana Akosa was confident that PINA was not behind time as it had scheduled six months to the election date to begin intensive public sensitisation on its candidates and activities.
“With a well-packaged message that is also well targeted, as well as a high intensity campaign but at a lesser cost, we believe we will not lag behind at all,” he said.
Nana Akosa said PINA met with all shortlisted candidates on March 15, 2008, and discussed with them the objectives of the foundation, resources at their disposal, their schedule for the elections and deployment.
He said based on that the candidates were asked to go and draw up their budgets and proposals for the election campaign.
Nana Akosa said the basis for the choice of the candidates was their commitment to go independent, which meant that they were providing alternatives to the political parties in the country.
He said political parties had failed to improve upon the political dispensation of the country with a dominant Executive and a majority membership of a party dominating in Parliament, subjecting the country to what they wanted.
He was of the view that an influx of independent candidates in Parliament and as President would correct that. He, however, said the type of political structure they were supporting was intolerant of political party funding.
“How can the state remove subsidies from utilities, fuel and other critical social areas and dissociate itself from involving in enterprise, then turn round to fund political parties?” He queried.
“This does not make sense and PINA does not support the funding of political parties,” he added.
PINA was formed in September 2007 as a non-governmental foundation to support political alternatives to all other political parties in the country.
DAILY GRAPHIC, FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2008