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09.05.2012 Speech

WHY A CHANGE IN GOVERNMENT IS THE WAY FORWARD

09.05.2012 LISTEN
By Newspitter

Speech Delivered by: Mr. John K. Boadu A Deputy Communications Director of NPP

At the: NPP Massachusetts Inaugural and Fundraising Dinner Dance Saturday, May 5th 2012 Worcester, Massachusetts -USA

Mr. Chairman, National Chairman of NPP-USA Newly sworn in executives of MA Chapter Executives of sister Chapters Opinion leaders Reps of other political parties Members of the media Distinguished guests Fellow Ghanaians

Good evening!
It is my greatest pleasure and honor to thank you all for making time out of your busy schedule and challenging chores to grace this wonderful occasion here today. Indeed without your presence and contribution this opportunity to share ideas and reflect on the way forward for Ghana would not have been possible.

Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, the flagbearer of the greatest party in Africa extends his warmest felicitations to you all.

When I was invited by the executives of Massachusetts branch of our party to help inaugurate and raise funds for the party my first inclination was to say no because we were in the middle of the biometric Registration Exercise but I quickly checked and realized that the number of Ghanaians domiciling here in New England is so critical and crucial to the forward march of Ghana. Your presence and reception you have shown during this visit justifies why am here today. Thank you once again for your unflinching support for our party and more importantly your love for mother Ghana.

Ladies and gentlemen, your party the new patriotic party is more than poised to clinch victory in the upcoming general elections in December this year to continue the sterling performance of our mandate from 2001-2008 in order to stop the further abyss this slow administration is sending Ghana into . As stated succinctly by President Rawlings , if you find yourself in an unintended pit the wisest thing to do is to stop digging but the exact opposite is what the Mills/Mahama administration is doing . Our task here ladies and gentlemen is to know at our fingertips as Ghanaians what President Kufour's administration did only in 8 years and why we must change the Mills /Mahama administration to move Ghana forward .

What did Kufour administration do in 8 years?
Mr. Chairman, the New Patriotic Party inherited a GDP growth of 3.7 percent and under $4billion GDP in the year 2000. The NDC themselves in a letter to the IMF in June 2009, Page 17, paragraph 47 says that annual GDP growth was

1.6 percentage point (5.7 against 4.1) higher over the period than during the previous six years period (1996-2001). Below is the record of A sustained Unprecedented growth your government achieved ,2000 -3.7 ,2001-4.2, 2002¬

4.5 ,2003 -5.2, 2004-5.7 ,2005-5.8,2006-6.4,2007-6.3 and 2008 -8.4 . Ladies and gentlemen between 2000 and 2008 the economy increased from 3.7 percent to

8.4 percent. Even without OIL. The size of the Economy also increased from a paltry $4 billion to over $28.5 billion, a six-fold increase.

Under Kufour's dynamic leadership we succeeded in moving Ghana from a HIPIC country to a lower middle income country in only 8 years. It is worth noting that under the NDC's vision 2020 agenda, we were supposed to achieve middle income status in 2020 but the new patriotic party under the able leadership of J.A. Kufour and competent economic management team achieved this real unprecedented feat in only 8 years .

Mr. chairman, again in only 8 years of governance we increased the average income per person from $370 to over $1000. This achievement all things being equal raised the standard of living by the average Ghanaian. Poverty declined from 40 percent of the population to 28 percent by 2008.

Mr. Chairman, Ghana's total public debt is now 25.4 billion( Gh ) , a rise from 9 billion ( Gh) in January 2009 . The question we are asking is simple, what has happened to all that money and what is there to show for it? In other words where is the money? It must be noted that this gargantuan debt does not include the China loan or the STX abortive program so government propagandists must STOP rationalizing by using the China loan that is yet to be added to our debt burden.

The Kufour administration recognizing the crucial role of the media and free speech abolished the Criminal Libel and Sedition Laws on 29 th July, 2001. This has opened the frontiers of freedoms of the Ghanaian than ever before.

Mr. Chairman, we introduced in October, 2002 the Metro Mass Transit, popularly known as Kufour buses which does not only lessen the burden of the average worker because of the reduced fairs they were collecting and the comfortability of the buses coupled with free ride for children .

In 2003, we introduced the NHIS scheme which our NDC colleagues kicked against by walking out of parliament when the law was tabled. This replaced the killer Cash and Carry. Today the NDC is running down the scheme and returning us to the bad old days.

Mr. Chairman, we again introduced Free Maternal Care program in which expectant and nursing mothers received free medical care. Today the NDC government has collapsed it.

The Capitation Grant and School Feeding Program was introduced in September 2004. Today the NDC has politicized and messed them up.

Mr. Chairman, we launched the National Youth Employment Program as a stop gap to address the unemployment in the country. Today, it is fraught with problems but we are rather being told that a fathom 1.6 million jobs had being created. No doubt a government has a policy of peddling untruth by telling its propagandists to turn a small black sheep into a big white cow.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Kuffour administration in 2008 has increased the total kilometers (network size) of roads in the country from 38,321 km to 67,291 km. This implies that about 76 percent of our entire road network mix

i.e. urban, feeder and trunk roads were done by your party and government.

Mr. chairman , the list of achievements of the NPP government is too gargantuan that if care is not taken one may think the NPP was in power for 50 years but I will not end without telling you that the strength of our currency is at all time low in 18 years . I know this subject is dear to your heart and I don't intend to remind you of your painful experiences you have gone through in recent times but truth be told during the whole 8 year rule of your party the cedi only depreciated by 43 percent ie from 0.688(Gh) in January 2001 to 1.10(Gh) in January 2009 . Ladies and Gentlemen the cedi is now heading towards 1:2 now. This is really unprecedented in 3 years.

Mr. Chairman, with all these achievements chalked by your Government not forgetting the discovering of oil in commercial quantities bequeathed to the Mills/ Mahama administration all were expecting massive infrastructural development, controlling the cedi, working hard to bring down the interest rate further, fostering unity amongst all, fighting corruption, reducing unemployment, improvement in the health of our people, finding solutions to school drop out rate etc. What are we seeing ladies and gentlemen?

The government is finding it difficult to trumpet its mediocre achievements amongst them is single digit inflation. Inflation they say is like toothpaste, when it gets out its difficult getting it in again, so it's good to have a sustained single digit inflation that leads to an appreciable increase in the standard of living. Wide gaps amongst inflation,interest rate and fast depreciation of the cedi is not funny at all. Am happy to hear the call by Dr Joe Abbey of CEPA on the need for statistical services to come clean on inflation figures. I also call on the Monetary Policy Committee,Association of Ghana Industries and all stakeholders to find ways of salvaging the Usain Bolt speed of the depreciation of the cedi and the high interest rate despite occasional reduction in the policy rate (note policy rate has been increased 200 basic points in a quarter ) .

Mr. Chairman, the effect of stable and favorable micro and macro economic management is about delivering improvement in the lives of its citizens. These improvements are manifested in the real sector performances which are Agriculture, Industry and Service. These are where the jobs are created and so one must critically analyze the oil driven 14.4 percent GDP growth in 2011. Growth in the Agric sector is steadily declining from 7.4 percent in 2008 to 0.8

percent in 2011. This growth includes the good performance of the cocoa sub sector. For our friends in the fishing subsector the decline is so deep that even the cedi will envy, from 17.4 percent in 2008 to NEGATIVE 8.7 percent. Critical examination of reasons if any, why such an important job creation sector is dying.

In Industry, manufacturing performed poorly. The target for the year was 7.0 percent but the government achieved only 1.7 percent, but for the discovery of oil this sector would have nothing to show. Any reasons?

The performance of the Service Sector leaves much to be desired. The hospitality industry registered a growth of Negative 11 percent as against a target of 13.5 percent. Trade registered a growth of 2 percent against a target of 11 percent. The banking sector registered a growth of 1 percent against a target of 17 percent. Business registered a growth of Negative 1 percent against a target of 10 percent, the list of failures in missing targets were unprecedented.

This gloomy picture of failure characterizing the Mills/ Mahama /administration without even mentioning Woyome, STX, Ayariga tractors, inflating contract prices for cronies, incompetence, greedy bastards etc are the more reason why President Mills must be a one term President .

I would like to use this inauguration/ fundraising dinner to assure you that economic transformation through dynamic, innovative and visionary leadership has been achieved before and would be achieved under the able leadership of Nana Addo/ Bawumia's stewardship.

Mr. chairman, fellow kukrudites! I want to end my submission by reiterating Nana Addo and NPP's commitment to free Senior High School system. We will make Senior High School the required basic school for all children in order to give them a fair opportunity in life. There are those in this age and time in Ghana and elsewhere who doubt the feasibility of this policy but I am happy they are not questioning its importance. Governance is about choices and with efficient and wise use of resources and expanding the GDP of our country as we did in Kuffour's 8years yes we can.

A society that aims at transforming its economy, modernization of agriculture, industrializing and adding value to our new found resources needs a well educated, motivated and dynamic workforce to propel our society into a level where none is deprived of the opportunity to maximize his/her potential. A Ghana where the safety and security of all is assured and a Ghana where its citizens can compete globally and a Ghana where access to health, education, clothing and shelter would not be a luxury reserved for the privileged few.

Thanks for your attention.

Long live Massachusetts Chapter!!!

Long live USA Chapter!!!
Long live NPP!!!
Long live GHANA!!!

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