Since 1992 when Ghanaians had the opportunity to practice democratic governance, many political parties have emerged but sadly, only the NPP and NDC have survived whilst the rest are still struggling to find their feet on the unstable political grounds that have been created by the two political parties.
To seek the people’s mandate during elections, the NDC and the NPP have backed their visions and promises with manifestos that have catalogued all ideas into beautiful, banded pamphlets.
The suggestions and solutions are genuinely meant to solve many of the myriad problems facing the people, but the sad reality is that at the end of every four years reign irrespective of which party was in power, the complaints of the people remain the same and even louder, an indication that the problems facing the people remain unresolved. What could have contributed to this situation?
My experience in research of the NPP shows that many of the visions, promises and programmes of some political parties are not tailored to suit the needs of the people but to satisfy the “whims and caprices” of the parties. The preparation of manifestos has turned into some kind of political contest or ritual with parties trying to outdo each other. Intentions have turned into promises, some of which they themselves know cannot be fulfilled. They have become tools to throw dust into the eyes of the electorate.
Some manifestos especially those from the opposition parties lack substance because by the nature of our governance, those who prepare the document are not privy to the true financial state of the economy until the party assumes office and, therefore, promises made cannot be justified or relied upon financially. In simple language some of the manifestos are an elaborate hoax.
I glanced through the NDC manifesto for 2012 elections and ex-President Mahama promised to undertake the construction of dual carriage ways on all trunk roads in Ghana. When ex-President Mahama assumed office, he abandoned the Nsawam/Apedwa trunk road, the only trunk dual carriage road under construction which was started by ex-President Kufuor, and not even an INCH of asphalt was added to what had been done.
I have also taken a good look at the2016 NDC manifesto and I must commend those responsible for the presentation of that document for a good job done. It was well presented with good visions, intentions, and programmes but the presentation was only an academic exercise not meant for the ordinary voter.
What happened to the NDC in the 2016 General Election was an indication that the manifesto had no effect. This confirms my earlier assertion that some of these documents are prepared to suit the “whims and caprices” of the political parties and not the people whose votes they seek.
The fact of the matter is that campaign messages must not be what political parties want to do or can do for the people but rather what the people want the political parties to do for them. The proposal by the NDC to build a “Satellite City” in Kasoa, died in incubation period and maybe the current proposal to move Accra city to a new location may suffer the same fate. The question is: where is the priority in our current economic situation? Will the building of a new city be the solution to Ghanaian’s problems today?
The sad reality is that some political parties erroneously think that by producing an attractive manifesto with inclusion of some white elephant projects will win them the votes, but this has proved to be wrong since the inception of the fourth republican constitution. The key to build a successful manifesto lies in the constant touch of the leader with the people, identify their concerns and priorities and compile their recommended solutions in a manifesto.
I am sure if NDC has consulted its political base in the Greater Accra Region and suggested the movement of the capital from Accra to an unknown area near the Volta Lake between three regions, I don’t think the Ga Mantse and his people would be too happy with the NDC, and the ex-President would not have hurriedly made the pronouncement as if there were some urgent demands for it or he has a singular responsibility for such a decision.
Dr Bawumia has declared his intention to be a president for “growth and development” and this can only be achieved through constant touch with the people to identify their needs and priorities. In his recent visit to the Ashanti Region, the “world bank” of the NPP, the flagbearer spoke on the Private Sector, Solar power generation, Tax system, Review of Chieftaincy Act, Railway System, Small Scale Mining and the creation of one million jobs.
Every past government has recognised the importance of giving the private sector the leading role in our economy, but in practice, the private sector has been denied the effective role they should play. Dr. Bawumia says “the private sector will be given incentives to lead Government expenditure, leading to wealth creation and prosperity.”
According to him the country’s developmental agenda will be expedited if the private sector is encouraged and supported to play an effective role in the country. On Solar Power Generation, the flagbearer stated that “I want us to depend on solar power. We have constant sun so we can harvest it to provide power. I am targeting 2000 megawatts of solar power to support our power generation and improve business”.
Solar power generation has come to stay and therefore its commercial generation must be combined with domestic uses which will have direct impact on the lives of our people, especially in the rural areas of the country. It is only the private sector that can play an effective role in installing, operating, and maintaining the necessary equipment for effective use.
The tax system has undergone a lot of criticism in the past and having been involved in digitalising some of the problems, Dr. Bawumia thinks the introduction of the flat rate tax system as operates in Estonia will be useful to the Ghanaian situation. All Dr. Bawumia needs are your votes to enable him to introduce some of the bright ideas.
Our Chieftaincy institution has stood the test of time and has contributed immensely to the development of this nation. Unfortunately, there are some developments and happenings in our society today which calls for a more serious review of the role of Chiefs in our society. There are so many areas, but I will mention only two issues which I think merit serious consideration.
The first is on land acquisition and the role played by chiefs and the pain that they have caused many Ghanaians, needs to be seriously looked at. The next is trial of minor cases which historically had been handled by chiefs in our communities. The reversal of such a policy will ensure speedy justice delivery, prevent delayed cases, and overcrowding of our prisons.
The improvement of the railway system has begun but we still have in our midst Ghanaians who will sabotage such efforts as demonstrated in Tema-Mpakadan Railway Line accident recently leading to a cost of $2.1 million in damages caused to one of new trains imported by the government from Poland.
Already Nana Addo’s government has done marvellously well in the Western Region and with a little push, our railway system will be back on track. When seriously undertaken, our trunk roads will be free from the use of many articulators who have caused a lot of damage to surface trunk roads and many road accidents will be reduced.
The handling of small-scale mines nearly caused the defeat of the NPP Government in the last election. The problem remains unresolved and its damage on streams and rivers is very worrying especially their effect on the drinking water resources in the country. The need for a final solution is important and the flagbearer’s intended action will help mitigate the effects and restore order.
As regards creating one million jobs and training of one million youth in the use of computers, the flagbearer has spoken about them on several occasions and I believe he has what it takes to handle it.
To become a president of growth and development, the president must be in constant touch with the people and learn at first hand their problems and solutions. In his efforts to provide solutions, Dr. Bawumia has not generalised his solutions but has picked the relevant issue and offered the solutions where appropriate. There are no ambiguities in the solutions he has offered because he knows what he is talking about.
Dr. Bawumia may not have solutions to all the problems but at least the solutions he has offered for the identified issues, he stands tall among his competitors.
Vote Dr. Bawumia for growth and development.