RE-No Government Can Fulfil Campaign Promises Within Six Months

I was reading up stories on Ghanaweb on the 14/08/09 and came across this story in which the Eastern Regional Minister, Samuel Ofosu- Ampofo is reported to have said that, “No government could fulfil its election promises within 6months”. I just laughed it off. You see, the issue is not about fulfilling campaign promises within six months. It is about the campaign promises that have been broken within six months.

For instance, if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) while outside government promised to reduce the prices of petroleum products if given the mandate but instead did the exact reverse within six months by increasing the prices, should Ghanaians keep quite because it is just six months old in government! Is that what the Minister is inferring?

Or if the government promised to create employment to curb the menace of graduate unemployment in the country, but instead officialises unemployment in the public sector of Ghana for two years, Ghanaians should keep mute? There are several reasons why Ghanaians won’t keep mute within the six months of the NDC government.

For instance if the finance minister should declares the country bankrupt and broke within six months of taking government and a government transitional team spends over 1.3Billion Ghana cedis on tea and ‘chinchinga’(kebabs) Ghanaians should close their eyes and say “The government is six months old so don’t complain” is that what Samuel Ampofo is saying?

More still if ex-ministers should have their vehicles ‘abducted’ at the very same time government officials were busy selling to themselves state tractors just because the government is six months old Ghanaians should stitch their mouths and pretend that nothing is happening?

In other words if the government promised good governance and rule of law when it was looking for the mandate of the people and within six months law abiding Ghanaians are prevented from travelling and in some cases have had their passports seized by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) without any court order as prescribed by the laws of the country Ghanaians should keep silence because the government is six months old?

Or within six months if ministers of state can use state resources to wine and dine with their girl friends, as well as buy diapers for their babies with state money Ghanaians should shut up and break their pens into pieces? Is that what the minister is saying?

The change in Ghana took place through the barrel of the thumb, and not through the barrel of the gun! So those in the current government who has coup mentalities must wake up to the quickest realisation that, what goes around comes around. And even if the current administration were to rule for a billion years the end will surely come. It is just the matter of time.

When that day comes how will they expect to be treated? And to Samuel Ampofo the Eastern Regional Minister. If six months is too short for campaign promises to be fulfilled doesn’t he also think that six months is quite a short time for all those things that has happened in the country to have occurred?

By Akilu Sayibu, United Kingdom

Email: Akilu.sayibu@live.uwe.ac.uk