Opinions of Monday, 23 April 2018
Columnist: Victor Abdul-Satarh Quarshie Adonoo
The acting National Chairman, Acting General Secretary, Greater Accra Regional Minister, NPP Regional Council of elders, Regional Executives, Distinguished Aspirants, Delegates, Diplomatic Community and All Protocols observed.
I bring you fraternal greetings from the Greater Accra NDC Regional Chairman, comrade Ade Coker, the Regional Executive Committee Members and the entire membership of the great NDC within the Greater Accra Region.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Party being a committed friend and arch-rival of the governing NPP led by HE Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo follows closely the unfolding election process taking place within the NPP in the Greater Accra Region. Today’s election is being contested on very competitive grounds among hard-working party members who are ambitious and very desirous of serving the political tradition where they belong. Today’s election has undoubtedly displayed your commitment to the deepening of internal party democracy in Ghana.
On this note, the Greater Accra NDC Regional Secretariat will like to congratulate all aspirants vying for various positions within the NPP in the Greater Accra Region. It is worth noting that elections are either lost or won depending on a candidate’s suitability to the delegates. To those of you who will be winning, you have to be circumspect in celebrating your electoral victory in order, not to court hatred among the losing team.
To those of you who will be losing, unfortunately, do not see that as an end to your political career. After all, you need not be an executive before helping the party to grow. Whether you win or lose, you own it a big duty to manage the post-election issues for the sustained growth of the party in the region.
Whiles, we congratulate you, we will also like to use this opportunity to draw the Akufo Addo led NPP government’s attention to some happenings in the country. As you are aware, the NDC and NPP are the two main political parties that have had the opportunity to govern our great nation, Ghana since the inception of the 4th Republican constitution. As such, one will expect that the level and quality of discourse and collaboration between the two parties, in particular, will be guided by a deep sense of maturity and nationalism but sadly, same cannot be said of our brothers in the NPP.
Not too long ago, Ghanaians voted massively for an NPP government with a lot of hopes and aspirations but alas! There is nothing promising to speak of in the one and half year’s old Nana Addo led-NPP government. The NPP who campaigned on the soaring wing of hope has cut short the hopes and aspirations of many Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians due to lack of seriousness being displayed in the administration of the affairs of the state.
In fact, I have to state with great pain and sorrow that there is no better critical indicator that the future of Ghana is bright under the ruling NPP government. Having followed closely events surrounding the one-year-old Presidency of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo and its effect on Ghanaians, I have to say without any shred of doubt that the one year reign has just been that of vindictiveness, hopelessness and total disaster.
There is no significant achievement for Ghanaians to be proud in the over one year of the NPP administration. The period has been characterized by broken promises. The fact is that you cannot scratch the face of problems and equate that to the fulfillment of unattainable campaign promises you made to Ghanaians. The monumental achievements the NPP claimed to have chalked is a mirage.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, the dangerous level of lawlessness in Ghana under the watch of the NPP government led by the veteran Ghanaian politician, President Nana Addo needs much to be desired. In just a period over a year, Ghanaians have been living in a state of fear and panic due to the actions and inactions of disgruntled NPP youths. They have been on a vandalism spree, seizing state properties, harassing former government appointees through unlawful invasions and going on a collision course with law enforcement agencies.
The brutal assault on ASP Nanka Bruce at the presidency is still fresh in our memories. The Ghana-US security pact is something no Ghanaian wants to hear or listen to because of the serious threat it poses to our security as a sovereign nation.
Mr. Chairman, we want to tell the President that he has not shown leadership so far as state security is concerned. He has lost focus and cannot act to protect the same citizens who voted for him to lead the post-independence Ghana. The insecurity situation the country is bedeviled with is of great concern to the majority of Ghanaians which needs urgent attention.
The least said about the free SHS the better! Though a good policy, its implementation was rushed for reasons best known to the NPP government. The sustainability of the policy is continuously been threatened because the cost of the free SHS policy is not known.
I have to put on record that the NDC is not and can never be against the free SHS as some NPP members want to make Ghanaians believe. No! Our argument is that the highly touted free SHS was not well-thought about and that the policy is not completely free as we were made to believe. As social democrats, any pro-poor program of the government is of great importance to us and will do our best to offer the necessary advice and criticisms for its sustainability.
The talk show is becoming one too many. What we require now is less talk and more action. What Ghana needs now is a political leadership that is bold, development-oriented and competent to steer the affairs of the state. The only political party in the Ghanaian soil who has the track record of delivering on its promises is no other one than the great NDC party.
On behalf of my Chairman, Elders and entire NDC family, we wish you a successful election.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE ATTENTION AND MAY GOD BLESS US ALL.