NPP slams NDC for failed promises

The New Patriotic Party (NPP), has slammed the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government for what it describes as a catalogue of failed promises following its election into office in the December 2008 polls.

According to the NPP, the President and his government had failed to honour promises made with respect to the economy, security, governance, among other issues.

At a news conference at the party’s headquarters in Accra, the party said the President had failed to honour promises to reduce petroleum prices drastically; improve the economy; ensure that Ghanaians lived in no fear of armed robbery and also be a president for all Ghanaians.

“Indeed the administration is nothing but a tale of failed promises. We believe this appraisal is indeed a charitable one, made in utmost good faith and made in the supreme interest of our beloved country,” the Minority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said.

He recalled that in the President’s inaugural address to the nation, he promised to be president for all Ghanaians irrespective of their political persuasion and the parts of the country they came from.

“That clearly is a noble intent but significantly even before the echo in that declaration could peter out, members and activists of the ruling party had descended and appropriated to themselves the manning of lorry parks, public toilets from suspected supporters and sympathisers of other political parties, but especially those of the NPP,” he said.

He alleged that many had been assaulted and battered and it appeared the President had turned a blind eye and a deaf ear, to the protestations and groaning of the victims and said that was not a good beginning for the “president for all Ghanaians”.

He said there had also been dismissals effected on many public officers since January 7, 2009 during the transition period when NADMO officials including the chief executive, as well as the chief executive of the DVLA, were handed dismissal letters by persons who were non-ministers but who purported to be acting on behalf of the President.

The Minority Leader stated that other arbitrary dismissals involved heads of the School Feeding Programme, the National Identification Authority, the National Health Insurance Authority and many other departments and agencies in the public service.

He also stated that the President, in his inaugural address, had urged members of the Judiciary, the security and public services to be loyal and committed to the country.

“One thought loyalty to the nation or state is completely different from loyalty to a political party which finds itself in government. It is for this reason why one finds it strange that the President, himself an Associate Professor of Law should now openly canvass the position that public and civil servants who do not agree with the ruling NDC government shall have to leave their positions.

“Nothing could be more dangerous to our democracy than to equate the state with government. Whereas per Article 3 (1) the 1992 Constitution disables Parliament from enacting a law to establish a one-party state, clause 2 of the same article prevents any person including the President from suppressing or seeking to suppress the lawful political activity of any person or class of persons.

“What is more pitiable is that the same president who pledges to be father of all Ghanaians has directed his political appointees to give special attention to members of the NDC,” the Minority claimed.

Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu contended that instead of healing old wounds as promised by the President, new wounds had been opened under the watch of President Mills.

He cited the case of Appiah Stadium who the Minority Leader said, was assaulted and bundled in his own car by known NDC operatives and whose car was set ablaze by the same gang was well-documented.

He also made reference to “the gruesome murders of three traders and workers in the Agbogbloshie Market - Alhassan Fuseini from Tamale; Soale from Yendi and Sule J. Y. from Tolon-by persons he alleged, were close to the NDC”.

Touching on economic performance, he said the President had promised Ghanaians “A Better Ghana” in which Ghanaians would have money in their pockets but unfortunately that had not been achieved.

He said the record of the NPP was far impressive than that of the NDC and said for instance that, as at the end of 2008 inflation stood at 18.1 per cent despite it being the worst year because of high fuel prices, financial meltdown and world wide soaring food prices.

According to him, comparatively, in November 2009 as at the end of the first year of the Prof. Mills administration, inflation had been reduced marginally to 16.9 per cent, adding that “it is important to note that even with this decline the average rate of inflation in 2009, 19.6 per cent, is still higher than the corresponding average for 2008, which stood at 16.9 per cent.

“In contrast in the year 2000, inflation at the end of the year stood at 40.5 per cent. But by the end of the first year, the NPP led government had been able to reduce the rate of inflation significantly (by 47 per cent) to 21.3 per cent,” he said. Share Your Thoughts on this article Name Email Location Comments Graphic Ghana may edit your comments and not all comments will be published