body-container-line-1
18.09.2020 Feature Article

The Manifesto

The Manifesto
18.09.2020 LISTEN

Since Ghana adopted democracy in 1992, the constitution mandates the conduct of Presidential and Parliamentary elections every four years in consonance with its provisions.

All too soon, another electoral cycle is upon us and Ghanaians will be going to the polls on December 7, 2020 as the constitution demands to elect parliamentarians and a president to steer the affairs of the country for the next four years. One of the basic tenets of democracy are multi-party elections which presents a periodic opportunity in law given to citizens to elect leadership and a political ideology to deliver desired development.

For the period within which a political party will be at the helm of affairs, they govern the people based on a social contract upon which they sought their mandate. This social contract, a "Manifesto", is a policy document by a political party prior to a general election. In it contains intentions, the set of policies that the party stands for and would wish to implement if elected to govern. Depending on your appreciation of political affairs, the manifesto can be a vote-catching document or real intentions to meet the developmental needs of the people. Despite the intentions, these manifestos ends up becoming the premise of their development plans with a compulsion to implement together with its attendant fiscal and systemic consequences when parties win electoral power.

In the run up to the December 2020 elections, the two major political parties (NPP, NDC) who have dominated the political space since 1992 have all launched their manifestos. The New Patriotic Party which birthed the ruling government dubbed their 2020 manifesto “Leadership of Service: Protecting our Progress, Transforming Ghana for All”. To a large extent, the NPP's manifesto seeks to consolidate the economic and social gains in office and set the stage for the country's progress. To the NPP, gains in flagship policies and programmes like Free SHS, 1D1F, Planting for Food and Jobs, NABCO, AfCFTA and stable macroeconomic indicators are critical to spur the nation to the next level of development including building of a new airport in Cape Coast should they win power.

As expected, the largest opposition party (NDC) has also released what they call the "People's Manifesto" to deliver jobs and prosperity, should the party get power to govern again in 2021. Generally, the NDC manifesto basically seeks to address citizenry concerns and unintended ramifications of major state policies over the life of this government including the banking sector reforms, infrastructure deficit and other policy concerns have been topical. Promises like the Big Push infrastructural plan, Free Primary Health Care, Cancellation of the Teacher Licensure Exams, Pension Scheme for organised groups in the informal sector and the controversial plan to legalise 'Okada' to drive jobs and entrepreneurial agenda of the NDC.

The December 2020 presidential and parliamentary election will represent, debatably, the highly contested elections in our 4th republic between a former and a sitting president with their track records of performance in power. With dozens of mouth-watering sectorial promises and freebies, this year's election presents the clearest of electoral choices for Ghanaians to make. As citizens, we have a duty to read these manifestos, know their contents, see how they meet our aspirations and make political parties accountable to deliver whatever it is they promised. 'Fellow Ghanaians' let us not shirk our civic participatory responsibility to be part of the change or continuity agenda in December 2020.

Ultimately, let make Ghana the winner 🇬🇭🇬🇭🇬🇭

Written By;

Reforce Okwei

Contact: [email protected]

body-container-line