Prof. Karikari Damns NPP �Over Lazy �Opposition Duties��

Former Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Prof. Kwame Karikari has added his voice to the creeping perception that the opposition parties especially the New Patriotic Party (NPP) which is the largest amongst all have failed to demand strict accountability from government even in the face of all the brilliant revelations by the media on corrupt practices in government. Prof. Kwame Karikari who is also a Communications Lecturer at the University of Ghana made these comments when he was speaking at the West Africa Contract Monitoring Network forum organized by the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition. He stated unequivocally that the opposition parties are either sleeping or in the case of the NPP they are rather busy �eating each other up rather than targeting all the expos� the media houses are doing,� thereby failing to hold government to task on critical issues affecting Ghanaians. Prof. Karkari indicated that the NPP acts as if they are not concerned about the plight of the suffering Ghanaian or perhaps �they are waiting to perpetrate the same thing but there are leads for them to use for their campaign and they are not interested.� He also cited instances where the NPP have clearly demonstrated the lack of commitment or lazy attitude in helping to build a consensus or shaping the National agenda. He then indicated that NPP�s nonchalant drive to get the government on its �toes� is the reason why they have been seriously criticized for their constant boycott of national programmes like the National Economic Forum which was meant for all stakeholders to deliberate and find effective ways through which the country�s economy could be revived and stabilized. They also boycotted the swearing in ceremony of President John Mahama because according to them, the 2012 general election which declared him President was rigged and the case was being contested at the Supreme Court. Prof Karikari therefore used the opportunity to charge the media to take up the task in the seeming absence of opposition parties to carry out this duty. Again, Prof Karikari requested that the media should ensure that the masses are interested in issues directly affecting their lives so that they can cast their vote on the real issues.