Cheap politics indeed!

 
Since taking over the reins of power eight years ago, communicators of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) have insisted that in its eight years in office, the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) did not build any tertiary institution in the country.

Not only did the NDC accuse the NPP of not building any tertiary institution, but also, descended heavily on the Elephant Family for not constructing more secondary schools to move forward the educational agenda of this country.

Any keen follower of the erstwhile NPP administration under ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor would, however, attest to the fact that even though the party did not build physical structures, it embarked on a massive expansion of educational infrastructure in our tertiary institutions.

For example, the Kufuor government constructed four huge residential flats or hostels on the campus of the University of Ghana, Legon. Before the construction of the four residential blocks, only first year students and some final years (about 10%) were given accommodation on the campus of the university, which had a population of about 47,000.

Students were perching (living) with friends on campus within the five traditional halls namely – Mensah Sabah, Akuafo, Commonwealth, Volta and Legon – where each room accommodated five students, instead of three.

Conversely, on completion of the four new residential blocks, over 70% of the students' body was able to get permanent accommodation on campus. Indeed, it is worthy to mention that before the construction of the four new blocks by the NPP, only about 30% of the students had accommodation.

It stands to reason, therefore, that if the NPP had used the investments into the construction of the new accommodation facilities for the establishment of new universities or Senior High Schools, perhaps, it would have been able to set up a facility that could enroll about 10,000 students or more.

The Chronicle is calling on political parties in the country to put the interest of Mother Ghana and Ghanaians first, instead of using whatever means possible to score cheap political points, or seek their parochial interests.

Instead of abandoning projects, which have been commenced by previous administrations, The Chronicle is urging the various political parties, especially NPP and NDC, to endeavour to continue from where their predecessors ended.

Before leaving office, the Kufuor-led administration had set in motion the construction of residential flats, numbering over 4,000, in various parts of the country to provide accommodation for a certain class of people.

Soon after assuming office in 2008, the Prof Atta Mills-led NDC declined to continue with the project, which would have been completed by now and handed over to the government.

Instead, the Mahama-led NDC administration started a whole new accommodation project along the Dahwenya-Ada Highway, to the neglect of what the NPP started many years ago. If they had continued, the project would have been completed by now.

It is on this note that The Chronicle is urging the various political parties not to abandon projects started by their predecessors, but continue whatever projects that had already began.

With such an attitude, the ordinary taxpayer is the one who would bear the brunt of the suffering and misery the politicians have put us through.