Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Kojo Oppong Nkrumah
The setting up of the Office of the Special Prosecutor headed by former Attorney General Martin A. B. K. Amidu, among many others, is a manifesto promise of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) when it was in opposition in 2016, the government has fired back at the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
A scathing war of records has ensued between the ruling NPP and the NDC after the latter sought to downplay the former’s achievements since assuming office in 2017.
In what appears to be the opposition party’s newfound campaign approach dubbed: ‘Thorough Analysis’, the project ostensibly examines the manifesto promises that won the NPP the 2016 general election against the backdrop of achievements so far.
Outlandish Claim
The maiden NDC ‘analysis’ expectedly scored the Akufo-Addo government only 14%, an outrageous score which had most observers laughing and describing it as outlandish and bereft of integrity.
The NPP members have fired back accusing the NDC of deception and dishonesty.
Unprovoked Attack
Leading the NDC charge was Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the man who, as the Deputy Minister of Information, claimed that the then NDC government had provided 1.6 million jobs within a few months since assuming office, but could not show where the jobs were located; he attracted media derision at the time.
The NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, one of the “babies with sharp teeth”, as described by NDC founder, former President Rawlings due to their ferocious attacks on their political opponents, composed a slide and appeared to ‘dissect’ what he claimed was the NPP’s performance so far.
Bragging Rights
He bragged that the NDC had been lenient in awarding the NPP the 14% performance rating because, according to him, the ruling party has failed woefully.
“You are given four good years of the destiny of the people and all you can do is 14%. And even this we have been so generous. You scored an F,” he said without giving details as to how he came by the figures.
He even accused the government of “mind-boggling” intellectual dishonesty, claiming it was not being candid with the people.
Cynical View
“You don’t even have the courage to apologize for it and try to see how you can make amends, but you think you can lie your way through by understating the number of promises that you make,” he fired.
“We would wish that our opponents perform when they are in government so we will be challenged to think harder and perform better when we get the opportunity so it becomes a positive competition to the top,” he added.
Mr. Ablakwa then said the NDC had created a website to track the NPP’s ‘failed’ promises.
Counter Attack
The government immediately gave a swift response, rubbishing the NDC’s claims and asking them to exhibit responsibility while in opposition.
Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, who led the counter-attack, said the NDC was attempting to downplay the significant achievements of the NPP administration and added that they had been dazed by the NPP’s hard work a few years in office.
NDC Dishonesty
He said the NDC members were being dishonest about the current state of affairs in the country and were trying to reap what they had not sown as the country heads towards the December general election with their distorted facts.
“As we get into the 2020 national conversation period, one of the narratives that the NDC seeks to carve is a narrative of dishonesty and in order to give life or credence to that narrative, they have to create scenarios that if indeed we made 388 promises, they will find some ways of adding some 235 and claim that we made 631 and in the end say that we have been dishonest,” he said.
NDC Strategy
According to him, part of the NDC’s strategy is increasing the NPP’s promises from 388 to 631 to enable them to make a claim of dishonesty against the Akufo-Addo administration, saying “they make this argument because what they seek is to downplay our achievements as a country and as a people.”
The minister said “what they have always forgotten is that if Ghana succeeds and the Government of Ghana, regardless of which administration is in power, gets the credit, it inures to the benefit of all Ghanaians, including them. When Ghanaian leadership is respected and appreciated across the continent or the world, they too, regardless of their partisan political colour, benefit from the collateral credit.”
Election Year
“We are clear in our minds that this year being an election year, despite the expectation that our attention as a nation even on politics should be focused on leadership in times of crisis, it comes as no surprise that the group will resort to such attempts. We do not believe that Ghana’s progress record should be undermined in those attempts to be partisan. Government assures the people of Ghana to set straight and defend the nation’s record of growth even in these trying times,” he pointed out.
More Projects
The NPP has said that apart from the Office of the Special Prosecutor, they have been able to implement policies that have served as catalyst for turning the fortunes of the country around.
They said they have laudable projects such as the Free SHS, Planting for Food and Jobs, the ongoing industrialization project under the 1D1F and the 1V1D, one constituency per an ambulance, decentralization of scholarships and the creation of six additional regions.
They said they revived the National Buffer Stock, shifted the focus of economic management from taxation to production, reduced the rate of government’s borrowing and reduced interest rates to spur private sector investment and growth.
They also set up two other development authorities and revived the one in the northern regions to speed up development.
The government said it had ensured the passage of the Right to Information Bill, delivered good governance, limited corruption and public accountability and enacted a Fiscal Responsibility Law to prevent over spending, especially in election year.
Furthermore, the party said it had succeeded in properly resourcing the National Council on Persons with Disability and had undertaken a comprehensive review of SSNIT’s investments and costs to ensure financial sustainability and was embarking on massive railway development.
By A.R. Gomda & Melvin Tarlue