Northerners have not benefitted from NPP, NDC - Amin-Anta

Northerners asked to demand from politicians clear-cut policies and programmes on their development agenda for the north.

The former Deputy Northern Regional Minister in the erstwhile New Patriotic Party's administration, Mohammed Adam Amin-Anta says the 2012 elections presents yet another opportunity for the chiefs and people in the Northern Region to compel politicians to demonstrate their commitment towards development course of the north.

He said this when he addressed students of Tamale Polytechnic at the launch of the 11th week celebration of Tamale Students Representative Council.

Mr. Amin-Anta, who was also once a Metropolitan Chief Executive of Tamale in the Kufuor's administration, indicated that election years are the most strategic times to attract the attention of politicians and policy makers.

Mr. Amin-Anta consequently enjoined northerners to demand from politicians clear-cut policies and programmes on their development agenda for the north.

He revealed it was such awakening call by northerners during last general elections that forced the two major political parties NPP and NDC to make conscious efforts to address the development plight of the north.

Whilst the NPP proposed Northern Development Fund the NDC brought on board Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) to serve the same purpose.

Uncharacteristic of politicians, the former MCE lauded the ruling NDC government for making good its word to establish SADA mandated to drive development in the savanna zone.

He, however, wished SADA plays supportive role rather than driving the development wheels by itself.

“SADA should be supporting development initiatives driven by the people,” he said, suggesting SADA should use its money as a guarantee to raise capital from the capital market for the regions to harness their own development.

Mr. Amin- Anta lamented the efforts of northerners in the two main political parties, the ruling NDC and main opposition NPP, are not adequately rewarded.

“With all the elections we have participated in, with all the political parties we have been committed and loyal to, what have they delivered to us, have we gotten the true meaning of democracy, have we gotten the true meaning of elections,” he quizzed, adding, “what we have gotten is poverty, what we have gotten is poverty, what we have gotten is hunger, chieftaincy conflicts, illiteracy and ignorance.”

He observed, “Majority of northerners are followers and not beneficiaries of the two main political parties…We are been used. When there are conflicts, we are there, even the most vocal people in the political parties are northerners yet when it comes to resource allocation we are marginalized. When it comes to the positions, the positions they give us does not empower us to bring development to our people directly,” decried the former Tamale MCE.

According to him, election is a process to select leadership to provide socio-economic conditions through resource allocation to effect accelerated development. Elections, he noted, must not therefore undermine peace.

“Rather than fighting for voter registration and elections, lets fight for development,” Mr. Amin-Anta advised.

On his part, Mr. Paul Osei-Kuffour, the Programmes Manager of CDD-Ghana in Tamale called on SRCs in various tertiary institutions as well as NUGS to come out with a code of conduct to regulate political activities on campuses.

His call is necessitated by several attempts by some political analysts to push the agenda of banning active partisan politics in tertiary institutions in the country.

The SRC President of Tamale Polytechnic, Kelvin Rashid Yahaya called on Electoral Commission, political parties, the media and civil society organizations and other stakeholders to ensure that the integrity of the country's electoral process is not subverted.

The theme of this year's celebration is “The Need to Uphold Integrity in Election 2012, The Role of the Polytechnic Student.”

Story by Clement Boateng/Joy News/Tamale