The usual political tension between the two main parties in the country which precedes every general election is already picking up gradually despite the presence of a life-threatening pandemic – Novel Coronavirus.
Though a cloud of uncertainty surrounds the fortunes of the upcoming December polls, both the opposition NDC and the ruling NPP have devised quite strategic means of influencing the voting patterns of the ordinary Ghanaian amidst the virus.
For the NDC, an opposition party desperate to regain its lost glories, the idea of ‘exposing’ the unachieved promises of the ruling government sits quite right with them, thus the launch of a new website to ensure that.
The party during its weekly press briefing, Monday, 15 June 2020, out doored the website with the name nppfailedpromises.com with the intention of throwing a spotlight on some promises made by the Akufo-Addo government which are yet to be delivered after over three years in government.
Explaining details to the website, Member of Parliament for North Tongu and former Deputy Education Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said the NDC had identified a number of unfulfilled promises and thought it wise to share them with Ghanaians.
“We have discovered that the 631 promises that we listed, after thorough analysis, combing through documents, what they’ve told us in Parliament, ladies and gentleman, it will shock you to realize that only 86 out of this 631 promise that has been delivered. So, the percentage achieved is 14%, not 78%... You can find all of well-researched data on the new website we’ve out doored today,” he said.
Attempt to hack website
Barely an hour after Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa out doored the website, he announced, without substantive evidence, attempts by some unknown persons to hack the website, not only to take it down but also change some figures.
He said the attempts had rendered the website temporarily dysfunctional, but the party was not taken aback, indicating the party’s willingness to pursue its course.
Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa said, “Information reaching me from our IT team is that some unknown person have already begun attempts to attack the website in the cyberspace. To change figures and also take it down but let me tell them that this will not stop us. We will not be stopped.”
NPP bites back
The ruling party which appeared dissatisfied with attempts by the main opposition party to smear its achievement with dirt, in a counter-press briefing same day, rubbished the essence of the website.
Speaking at the emergency press briefing, the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said the much-touted website which is to give comprehensive details to what the Akufo-Addo government has been up to so far, is still not active.
“After the launch of the website, I have tried to access the so-called failed promises captured in the supposed website, but it has proved futile. The website has been inactive hours after they declared it launched,” he said.
In his estimation, the opposition party’s actions mean nothing but attempts to throw dust in the eye of the ordinary Ghanaian and downplay the achievements of the ruling Akufo-Addo government.
He added, “they make this argument because what they seek is to downplay our achievement as a country and as a people.”
Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and MP for North Tongu Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa