Atta Mills Must Elevate National Debate

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PROF. ATTA MILLS MUST ELEVATE NATIONAL DEBATE TO JUSTIFY POWER SHIFT

With less than a year to the presidential election of December 2008, every logical indicator points towards a decisive NPP victory. The successful implementation of critical and far-reaching developmental programs by the incumbent government such as capitation grant, free feeding and busing of pupils, national youth employment program, massive infrastructure expansion, education reforms, revamped national health insurance scheme, judiciary reforms, civil service salary restructuring, inflation stabilization, huge interest rate decline, vast increase in strategic national cash reserves, seamless currency re-domination exercise, record Cocoa production due to government spraying program, the “Kufour” public bus scheme, and other significant micro and macro economic achievements. Thus, all these achievements have led me to conclude that Professor Mills will lose the 08 presidential elections.

It has been almost 24 months since Prof. Atta Mills won the NDC flagbearership. Like most citizens, I had anticipated from him a campaign full of fresh and practical ideas as to how to move Ghana forward towards the achievement of middle-income status as envisaged by Vision 2015. My buoyancy has, however, been dampened by the presidential aspirant’s seeming inability to articulate holistic but concise policies and programs that his government would pursue if voted into power. Prof. Mills campaign strategy seems to have centered around peddling of half-truths, fear mongering, innuendos, unsubstantiated facts, and impractical promises- deceitful machinations meant to hoodwink the people. Instead of selling his own virtues and touting the reasons why he must be given the mantle of leadership at this crucial stage in the annals of the country’s history, the NDC aspirant and his sympathizers have resorted to antiquated and tired-style campaign of mudslinging, character assassination and discrediting of opponents. Does this mean that the Professor and his party are out of touch with realty and short of ideas?

A case in point is a recent absurd campaign promise made by the learned Professor to the Ghanaian electorate that he would significantly reduce the price of petroleum products if voted into power. This is against the backdrop that Ghana gets discounted crude oil pricing from Nigeria, the 6th largest oil producer in the world, but where prices of petroleum products are comparable to that of Ghana. This promise, which clearly is not meant to be kept, is also made at a time when the world market price of crude oil has ballooned from $30 to over $100 per barrel in just a couple of years. Back in 2001, the average price of petrol per gallon was around $1.50 in the United States. Today, the average price of petrol per gallon is now sold at about $4.00, an astonishing 167% increase in just a span of seven (7) years. If the Professor wishes to hold on to this promise, is now not the perfect time for him to tell Ghanaians how he specifically intends to fulfill that?

I will, therefore, caution Prof. Mills to stick to issues that he may actually have the ability to influence if he ever becomes president of Ghana (which I doubt seriously), as the time for empty and hasty promises is over. The NDC aspirant must come out with credible policy proposals and programs detailing how he would build on the rock-solid macro economic accomplishments chalked by the Kuffour government in the short seven (7) years.

What Ghana needs now is a visionary and transformational leader who has the ability to inspire and rally the nation behind bold and transformative ideas, as it strives to move to a higher level and purpose. The country needs an individual who is well-versed in, for example, the intricacies and nuances of the rapidly evolving information and technology environment, and global interdependency, to push for accelerated economic growth to alleviate poverty, consolidate our democratic achievements, create enabling and business-friendly environment for local and foreign investors, and the empowerment of the people.

The NPP government has laid a solid foundation in anchoring the nation’s fragile democracy, and the establishment of economic-growth pole that will move Ghana to a middle-income status by 2015. Buttressed by the recent discovery of crude oil in commercial quantity, the country is assured of achieving its goal of becoming a middle-income nation under the tested and proven stewardship of the nation by NPP and its leadership. Nana Akuffo Addo, the NPP flagbearer and the most likely winner of the 08 presidential elections, will surely continue the current policies and programs that have taken the country this far.

For Prof. Mill’s NDC or any of the other opposition parties to take the mantle or the presidency from the incumbent party, they should come up with a detailed platform on how they would not only do better but also lead Ghana beyond middle-income status. This would, of course, be an uphill task given the nature and tone of their campaigns. It is for these reasons that I have concluded that Prof. Mills will lose the 08 presidential election for the 4th time. Long Live Ghana!