Two newspapers, The Network Herald and The Chronicle, on Wednesday published a near identical report; featuring an alleged edict against the activities of the National Democratic Congress at Dawurampong, a village in the Wassa Amenfi East District. While the Chronicle alleges that the District Chief Executive for Amenfi East in the Western Region, Mrs. Doris Gyampomah was the person who ordered the Chief of Dawurampong near Wassa Akropong, Nana Kwame Enimil II to ban all NDC-related meetings and activities in the village, the Network Herald said it was the chief who placed the order. According to the Chronicle, the alleged embargo from the DCE was issued as a condition that must be met before any development projects would be sent to the town that is considered as NDC stronghold in the District. “DCE Gyampomah reportedly gave the orders to the Chief on July 22nd this year after the latter had gone to her to discuss the development plans she had for the town. The DCE was reported to be concerned about the rowdiness way of the NDC in the area, which she was not happy with.” The paper said all its attempts to get the DCE to comment on the allegation did not materialise but Nana Enimil confirmed to that the DCE indeed ordered him to stop NDC activities in the town before he could get development projects. “The Chief who had initially refused to comment on the matter because of the way he was being harassed by journalists, said when the DCE gave him the order, he also called a meeting in the town and informed his subjects.” According to Nana Kwame Enimil, he was reluctant to speak to journalists due to the high tension in the town as a result of the orders from the DCE. He euphemistically told the Chronicle’s reporter that the DCE did not know his political affiliation and that it was wrong for her to have given him such orders. The Chief further told the reporter that the Member of Parliament for the area, Hon. Joseph Boahen Aidoo was aware about the strong presence of the NDC in the town yet he did not neglect them with his development projects. “I was expecting the DCE to behave the same way and not stop NDC activities in the area because he wanted development in the area. I was expecting the DCE to behave the same way instead of giving such orders to me”, he noted. The National Chairman of NPP, Peter Mac Manu has meanwhile doubted the allegation. He said if the claim was true, the NPP as a party would disassociate itself from the orders, adding that the party was a national party that transcended tribal and religious lines. Mr. Manu, who confirmed that the DCE had indeed traveled outside the country, said he knew her to be a democrat and would therefore not do what was being attributed to her. The party and the government, according to him, do not also believe in discrimination when it comes to development projects. In a related development, the Western Regional Organizer of the NDC, Mr. Solomon Nkansah has issued a statement condemning the behaviour of the DCE. According to the statement, the dubious and unconstitutional tactics employed by the NPP to intimidate and stifle the NDC was not the best and called therefore on chiefs to respect the constitution that barred them from doing active partisan politics. The Network Herald account has it that the chief had claimed that he had to make that unpopular decision to afford his people the benefit of development. According to the paper, the chief explained that since the NPP became the government of the republic, no District Chief Executive has made any attempt to execute any development project in the community because they have labeled Wassa Dawurampong, an NDC stronghold. He claimed that for the DCEs to exorcise themselves of the idea which they continue to employ to punish them, he has had to ban NDC activities. Nana Kwame Enimil told the paper via the telephone that when his attention was drawn to the erection of high tension poles that passed over his community to serve other communities, he contacted the DCE for the possibility of hooking them to the national grid, with an undertaking to ensure that the people themselves provided their poles. To his surprise, however, he said, the DCE, Mrs. Doris Gyampomah Oduro told him in the face to get lost. 'You people support the NDC so wait when the NDC comes to power, they will give you development projects,' she was alleged to have said. According to the paper, Nana had earlier made similar allegations against the DCE on Takoradi's Good News FM programme "Mpanyin Ahyia" last Saturday. According to him, in a typical biblical 'your eyes will see Canaan but your foot will not settle there,' the DCE insisted that even if the community bought the poles, she was not ready to assist the community with any electric power even if the high tension poles passed through his palace. Weary at the occurrence, Nana said the position of the DCE was unfortunate since as a chief, he was not permitted to get actively involved in party politics. He conceded that the directive might not be constitutionally permissible but asked what a chief who is out to ensure the best for his community and is so rudely disrespected by the government's representative for his area could do. "I was surprised at the behaviour of the DCE and did not know why a town could be denied development projects because they did not vote for a particular political party. "But as a chief, I want development projects for my town and therefore was compelled to issue the declaration," Nana lamented. The chief who said he had learnt his lesson also accused the DCE of further deliberately thwarting the efforts of the MP for the area Joseph Boahen Aidoo by ensuring that materials purchased by the MP for the construction of a market were never used. But he warned that the patience of people in the town was running out and challenged the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment as well as civil society and the good people of Ghana to rise against the tendency of DCEs to abuse the rights of the people they are expected by duty to protect. According to the paper. a press release by the Western Regional Secretariat of the NDC admitted knowledge of the chiefs directive which it said the chief made at a community gathering on July 27. The chief, the release said, beat the gong-gong upon return from a meeting with the DCE. The NDC said it viewed the development very dubious, unconstitutional and an attempt to intimidate and stifle, or perhaps completely subdue the party which is the only credible and formidable opposition party in the country to pave the way for the NPP to perpetuate itself in power. The Network Herald said its attempts to get the District Chief Executive for her side of the story proved futile as she was believed to have traveled out of the country at the moment. Again the paper contacted the Deputy Minister for Local Government Rural Dev. and Environment, Mr. Kofi Jumah to ascertain if the Ministry was aware of such a development, “unfortunately he responded in the negative.” Sources: Network Herald and The Chronicle