President John Mahama
President John Mahama has described the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) election 2016 manifesto launch as a ‘festival of insults’ targeted at the incumbent government.
Hours after the NPP officially launched the manifesto in Accra on Sunday [October 9], the President via his Twitter account said, “Michelle Obama quote appropriate for Ghana too after the NPP insultfest of Sunday. When they go low, we go high”.
The NPP’s manifesto launch on Sunday gathered several thousands of party supporters at the Trade Fair centre.
Michelle Obama quote appropriate for Ghana too after the NPP insultfest of Sunday. "When they go low, we go high".
— John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) October 10, 2016
The party’s Vice Presidential nominee, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, in his address challenged claims by the governing National Democratic Congress that it has performed better at managing Ghana’s economy.
He mentioned among other things that, the NDC had supervised corruption and introduced numerous taxes that are gradually collapsing the businesses in the country.
On the recent rating of the Ghanaian Economy by Moody’s, Dr. Bawimia challenged the NDC that the ratings did not indicate it had performed well in the last few years, noting that the recent ratings only showed a revision of Ghana’s economic outlook.
“Ghana’s rating under Moody’s is still B-. It is only the outlook that has been revised, and that is not equivalent to a ratings upgrade. Sometimes one wonders whether they don’t read or they don’t understand. So, let me give Mr. President a free piece of advice, Mr. President, please desist from embarrassing yourself by stating that Moody’s has upgraded Ghana. Your economic management team should explain that difference to you,” he said.
He further accused President Mahama of being out of touch with the reality hence his constant claim that Ghana’s economy is booming.
“Notwithstanding this abysmal record, President John Mahama is actually asking Ghanaians where the economic crisis is. He is clearly out of touch. Mr. President the economic crisis is out there if you care to look out of the Flagstaff House,” he said.
It must be noted that the NDC also at its manifesto launch described the NPP as ’empty barrels’. Fifi Kwetey, the Minister of Transport, said the NDC was a party that that delivers on its promises while the NPP spends time talking without action.
“They [NPP] do the talking, we [NDC] do the doing. They are empty barrels that make a lot of noise, we are full barrels we do not make a lot of noise. That is the difference between them and us…”Fifi Kwetey said.
‘Kayayei won’t pay taxes under NPP’
Dr. Bawumia as part of the many promises made at the manifesto launch said an NPP government would abolish the tax burden on head porters, otherwise known as ‘Kayayei’.
He said, “the mismanagement of the economy under this John Mahama led government has resulted in an increase in taxes on virtually everything taxable. Taxes were imposed even on condoms and cutlasses.”
“This has increased the burden on the private sector and is a disincentive to production,” the NPP vice presidential nominee added.
‘Mahama can’t teach me patriotism’
Flagbearer of the NPP for the 2016 general elections, Nana Akufo-Addo in his address said President John Dramani Mahama cannot teach him any lessons in patriotism.
While dismissing the President’s claims that those who cannot see the success of the economy are unpatriotic, Nana Addo said the NPP is not looking for catchy phrases or meaningless slogans; but rather it is offering solutions that will take the country out of what he called economic crisis.
“I have heard the President of the Republic make the breathtaking claim that the economy is not in crises. He went further to say that those who say the economy is in crisis have bad eyesight.”
“The president says that those who say the economy is in crisis are unpatriotic. Let me state clearly and without any equivocation that John Dramani Mahama cannot teach me any lessons in patriotism.”
-citifmonline