PARDON TSIKATA, PLEADS DEBRAH (PAGE 15)

THE Eastern Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Julius Debrah, has appealed to President Kufuor to pardon Tsatsu Tsikata.
Tsatsu Tsikata, the former Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), was last Wednesday jailed for five years on charges of wilfully causing financial loss to the state.
The NDC regional boss made the appeal in an interview after addressing a workshop for the party’s constituency organisers in the region in Koforidua at the weekend.
According to Mr Debrah, the presidential pardon would be appreciated, since Tsikata had played a significant role in the development of the country, especially in the area of oil exploration.
“We are not law experts on the issue but on moral grounds we believe it will be in the interest of the state to grant Tsikata a presidential pardon in view of his tremendous contribution to the national economy, especially the oil sector,” he stated.
Mr Debrah was hopeful that President Kufuor would consider the immense contributions of the former GNPC boss to the economy and grant him the pardon.
At the workshop, which was on the theme, “The Role of the Organisers for 2008 Elections”, and which was attended by participants from all the 26 constituencies in the region, the regional chairman told the participants not to be complacent of their achievements so far but work hard to advance the fortunes of the NDC.
The Eastern Regional Secretary of the NDC, Mr Anthony Gyampoh, said although the party would unseat the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the December general election, there was the need for the NDC constituency organisers to redouble their efforts to draw more people to the party to vote massively to defeat the NPP.
“The NPP has not only woefully failed to address the woes of the country but it has also added more problems which are making it difficult for the people to make a living. Although it is clear that the people will support the NDC to win the elections, you as constituency organisers should work hard for a resounding victory,” he stated.
On the five-year jail term for Tsikata, Mr Gyampoh described it as selective justice and cited instances such as the non-prosecution of the former chief executive of the Volta River Authority who imported a strategic reserve power generating plant at a huge cost, only for it not to generate a kilowatt of energy.
“If the former VRA boss and another ministers in the Kufuor regime who also imported mango seedlings worth GH¢200,000 (¢2 billion) during the dry season which were wasted were not tried at the law courts, then what is the justification in sending Tsikata to court and jailing him?” Mr Gyampoh asked.
Earlier in his welcoming address, the Eastern Regional Organiser of the NDC, Mr Tawiah Boateng, had called on the rank and file of the party, especially the constituency organisers, to go to the grass roots to educate the people on the current economic difficulties and the need for them to register en masse when the voters register was re-opened.
That, he said, would rope in more people to vote massively for the NDC in the December elections to take over from the NPP to bring relief to them.