PPP ready to win KEEA seat — Sterlin

The Progressive People’s Party is doing everything possible to annex the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Constituency seat in this year’s elections, Mr John Sterlin, the PPP Parliamentary Candidate, has declared.

“In line with this, the party in the constituency has outlined a number of  activities, including fishing and farming, to make the party visible and attractive to the constituents,” he revealed.

He was interacting with the Daily Graphic on the party’s activities aimed at making a meaningful impact in this year’s elections.

Background  

Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, the PPP’s,  2012 and 2016 flag bearer, won the seat in 2000 on the ticket of the Convention People’s Party (CPP). Now that Dr Nduom has formed the PPP, many political analysts are expecting his party to do well by recapturing the seat but the NDC and the NPP have continued to dominate the constituency votes.

Currently the seat is held by Dr Ato Arthur of the NPP but the NDC’s Mr Samuel Atta Mills has already laced his boots to give the incumbent a hot chase.

How Mr Sterlin will fare among these two leading parties is what analysts are keenly watching. 

Unfazed 

But Mr Sterlin appears unfazed as he touted his credentials and abilities which would help him to outdo the two candidates. Already, he has embarked on a door-to-door campaign, participating in social activities, thus, making sure that he is in the trenches with his constituents.

According to Mr Sterlin, his regular interaction with his constituents, coupled with his background as a fisherman, has enabled him to identify the resources and potential in the constituency to help the people out of the doldrums.

Economic activities

Mr Sterlin said the constituency has a long stretch of coastline for fishing but lacks the necessary facilities such as landing bays, storage facilities and fish processing plants to promote the fishing business.

He said the lagoon at Dutch Komenda and other areas could be dredged and used as proper landing bays to boost fishing and create jobs. 

He said even though a fishing processing plant at Elmina had been inaugurated by the President about a year ago, it was yet to function for the people to reap its benefits. 

Mr Sterlin said if voted for, he would use the mandate to champion the cause of the people. 

“There are state organisations and institutions that can develop the resources and potential, they have allowed them to lie idle due to poor accountability.’’ He added that as a major fishing community, more fishing processing plants could be established to process fish to increase the incomes of the fishermen and create jobs for the people.

Premix fuel/farming

The PPP parliamentary candidate said he would ensure that premix fuel for fishermen was distributed directly to the fishermen instead of being distributed on party affiliation.

On farming, he said, the forest zone of the constituency was noted for the cultivation of cocoa, oil palm, cassava, citrus, among other crops but  the feeder roads in the area  were in a bad state hence farmers had to grapple with low prices and annual heavy post-harvest losses. 

He said he would ensure that cottage industries were set up by cooperatives to add value to the resources in the area to create wealth and reduce the excruciating poverty in the constituency. He also said he would ensure that the abandoned poultry processing plant at Ankaful was revived.

According to Mr Sterlin, he would work with the assembly to tackle serious social issues such as  education, water, health and the poor road network in the constituency when given the nod.