Political parties urged to draw their Manifestoes from state policies

Participants at a project Inception meeting on "Promoting issues-based campaign on Fisheries, mining, oil and gas governance for election 2020", have kicked against the development of political Manifestoes independent of State Policy and the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).

They argued that the practice over the years had resulted in the obvious slow pace of national development, abandoned projects on the part of successive governments and the winner takes all phenomenon that was becoming entrenched in the body politics of the country.

The inception project, organised by the Friends of the Nation with Funding from STAR-Ghana is a 15-month programme to increase citizen’s action to influence the Manifestoes of political parties to address issues in fishing, extractives and prioritize citizen’s needs and aspirations in line with state policies.

Mr Solomon Ampofo, the Coordinator for Natural Resources at Friends of the Nation, stressed the need for proper analysis of the extractive industry to inform policy in that direction.

He said the project would be jointly executed with partners such as the NCCE, EC, EPA and the Minerals Commission to develop a citizen’s priority charter from which the political parties can adopt.

Mr Kwame Lan Tugbenu, the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Director of the NCCE pointed out that, it was imperative for the citizenry to enlighten themselves with the Constitution in order to hold political parties and governments accountable.

He said the 1992 constitution provided the springboard for every state activity and wondered why the interest of political parties were gradually superseding the interest of the state.

Mr Tugbenu, therefore, entreated political parties to go by the dictates of the Constitution as a reformative step in the upcoming General Election in doing what was constitutional for the development of the country.

Mr Asare Boafo-Gyan, the Deputy Director of the Western Regional Electoral Commission, said the commission was committed to peaceful elections to enhance the democratic credentials of the state and urged all and sundry to take an active part in the process.

He said elections were usually won at the polling stations, " and that is why it is important for parties to provide intelligent and enlightened agents to monitor the process".

The chapter six of the 1992 constitutions under article 39 gives the Directive Principles of State Policy regarding how social, economic, cultural, political, and even international relations should be conducted for the betterment of the generality of Ghanaians whilst the NDPC provided Development plan to guide any well-meaning group to follow in advancing the course of Ghana.