TWELVE CANDIDATES CANVASS FOR VOTES

Twelve parliamentary candidates from selected constituencies in the Greater Accra and Eastern regions have appeared before their constituents to be questioned.
They appeared at the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) Election Issues Platform dubbed "Sustaining Credible Elections, Peace and National Cohesion in Ghana 2008”.
The theme for the issues platform was “Combating Poverty Through Security, Job Creation and Basic Social and Service Delivery: Which Way Forward?”
The parliamentary candidates were Mr Frank Adu-Amankwah, of the New Juabeng North Constituency, Mr Collins Agyei Oteng of the New Juaben South, both of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and Mr Emmanuel Adu Boateng the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) candidate for the New Juaben North Constituency. Others were Mr Osei Bonsu Amoah, a candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Aburi-Nsawam Constituency.
In the Greater Accra Region, the candidates were Mr Daniel Kofi, CPP; Mr Kwesi Ofei Agyemang, NDC, and Ms Zalia Seidu, People’s National Convention (PNC), all vying for the Ayawaso Central Constituency seat, as well as Mr Francis Bernard Anyinatoe, NPP; Mr Samson Wingobit Asaki, PNC, both of the Ashiaman Constituency.
In the Ayawaso East Constituency, the participants were Mr Mohamed Salisu Baba of the NPP, Dr Mustapha Ahmed of the NDC, and Mr William Kofi Dowokpor, of the CPP.
The programme started with representatives of the CPP, Mr Charles Enimful; of the NDC, Mr Richard Quashigah, and of the NPP, Mr Eric Kotia, explaining to their constituents their commitments in their manifestos to fight poverty through security, job creation and basic social service delivery.
Candidates answered questions from people living in their constituencies present at the forum, as well as questions from others not present there but collated by IDEG from focused group discussions held in the various communities.
Opening the programme, a Research Fellow of IDEG, Dr Lee Tlou, said the Governance Issues Forum Network out of which was formed the Election Issues Platform, was critical in engaging all members of society to dialogue on public policy and development issues.
She explained that Parliament is the institution that represents the demand side of governance, the demands and needs of the people at the community levels, and that it is for this reason that the IDEG decided to focus on the parliamentary campaigns and organise such programmes to deepen dialogue between constituents and their representatives.
Participants wanted to know from incumbent parliamentarians who were still running, their specific development initiatives.
Other issues raised were the tackling of Internet fraud among the youth, poor sanitary conditions and how these would be tackled as well as the stemming of criminal activities.
14/11/2008
DAILY GRAPHIC, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2008