<<Print>>

Government says it has drawn lessons from the NPP's abysmal record on how it failed to implement over 77% of its manifesto promises it presented in the 2000 elections. A statement signed by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Deputy Minister for Information stressed that the government of President John Evans Atta Mills will not take the people of Ghana for granted and that serious efforts will continue to be made in fulfilling promises made to Ghanaians in its 2008 Better Ghana manifesto stressing that government was on course in this regard. Government said it remains conscious of the need to entrench political accountability and ensure confidence and trust in our body politic. Government welcomed calls from sections of society especially its political opponents to fulfil all of its manifesto promises and assured Ghanaians that after studying the NPP's abysmal record and knowing that it is substantially for this reason that the patience of the good people of Ghana for the NPP run out in 2008, "we are minded not to repeat that unenviable first term feat with our first term. It is also for this reason that President Mills established a policy coordination and implementation unit headed by a senior presidential advisor Dr. Christine Amoako Nuamah to ensure adherence to the most optimum level," the statement added. Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa said it is important that our politics generates confidence among the citizenry and that political accountability is crucial to sustain our democratic experiment and ensure the rapid development of our nation. Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa said that while he does not begrudge the NPP for making demands home and abroad on the Government to fulfil all of its manifesto promises, it found the insincerity and sanctimonious piety on the part of the NPP troubling . It is for this reason that it is important to assess the NPP's own record to ascertain if they come to equity with clean hands especially as they are up and about again this time in Europe making fresh promises to unsuspecting Ghanaians. The statement asserted that it is for this reason that we seek to remind all Ghanaians of the NPP's abysmal track record in fulfilling its lofty manifesto promises as the facts below reveal:" NPP'S 2000 MANIFESTO HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NPP'S LITANY OF BROKEN PROMISES LEST WE FORGET 96 HOW THE NPP EXECUTED THEIR FIRST TERM MANDATE BROKEN PROMISES PAG. 1) Create jobs for all persons able and willing to work and to reward each of them appropriately 5 2) Reduce the tax burden especially on workers and pensioners 5 3) Empower all Ghanaians, especially our women and youth, by supporting their entrepreneurial initiatives 4) Ensure an even balanced development of all the regions in Ghana 5) Totally develop the rural areas through the pursuit of an aggressive integrated rural development programme 6) An NPP government will cut the size and budget of the offices of the President and the Vice President, the budget and the size of the cabinet secretariat, the number of Ministers and other Presidential Appointees, and channel the resources to spur greater economic growth. 7) An NPP government will provide government loan guarantees under a new programme called the Small Business Assistance Programme. Under this programme, an NPP government will guarantee 80% of the loans provided to qualified SMEs 8) Creation of Ghana Investment Fund. NPP government will contribute 30-50 billion Cedis each year for four years to raise 25 percent of the share capital 9) Large scale exploitation of Ghana's bauxite, clay and stone deposits will be commenced 10) Ghana's aluminium-based products will be promoted to penetrate the wider international market 11) Major fishing and processing ventures have been allowed to decay while European and Asian producers continue to prosper off Ghana's maritime resources.Government will help to reverse this trend. 12) An NPP government will establish a Technologies Information Network, involving our universities and research institutions, industry associations, and key government agencies..Qualified science and technology staff will be attached to our Missions abroad to feed the Network with relevant information 13) ....an NPP government will work with all our trading partners to negotiate an Anti-Dumping Code to guide our trade relationships 14) Further, a National Subsidies Code, consistent with the rules and regulations of World Trade Organization and the protocol of ECOWAS will be developed to provide fiscal support and other subsidies to Ghanaian firms to enhance their ability to compete in a global economy. In addition, qualitative and quantitative trade restrictions will be used to support Ghanaian producers. 15) Development of the tourist sector to make it less import intensive and substantially increase its net foreign exchange earnings, granting special credits and technical up-grading to 93chop bars", lower-end hotels and restaurants to improve their surroundings and services to tourists. 16) Up-grading of the numerous small garages and fitter's shops through access to credits to acquire equipment and tools, b) making available technical training through linkages with tertiary engineering institutions, to provide supporting services to agriculture and industry. 17) Rehabilitation of our urban markets, internationally famous as the home of the enterprising West African market women", and provision of adequate drainage and healthy surroundings to make them suitable places for trading and major tourist attraction. 18) Modernization and extension of railway network. Connection to the Northern Regions within the next decade 15 19) Adequate drainage facilities particularly in the urban areas to protect life and property 20) Adequate water supplies in the urban and rural centres. 21) Programmes to ensure affordable energy and power sufficiency for domestic and industrial consumption 22) Construction of houses and other facilities for such critical groups as teachers, medical personnel and security services as well as for rural renewal. 23) Reform the land tenure system and, in particular, facilitate the use of land by land-owners and traditional authorities as equity contributions for farming, real estate, tourist and other commercial investments. This system will allow subsequent generations to benefit from the investment income from the land. 24) Facilitate entry of the educated youth into modern commercial farming by improving their access to land, capital, and farming support systems. 25) Review policy on the balance between importation of fish and the development of our own indigenous fishing industry. 26) The NPP government will take specific actions to raise productivity in food production; and to introduce a Farmers' and Fisherfolk's Security Trust to cater for them in their times of need and in their old age. 27) Designating the Afram Plains (in the Eastern Region) as a grain basket of Ghana, and conferring on it a special food production programme on pilot scale for replication to other regions of the country after two (2) years. 28) Investing in and promoting cost-effective water-harnessing facilities, such as large and small scale dams, drip irrigation, etc. and to make irrigated and prepared land blocks available for rent. 29) The establishment of constituency-based small-scale private companies dedicated to the rehabilitation, maintenance and construction of feeder roads will be encouraged 30) The NPP government will put in place well-equipped community-manned Fire Control Service to rid the rural areas from the perennial scourge of bush fires 31) Establishment of a National Youth Corps to create at least 100,000 jobs by the end of its first year and even more in subsequent years. This will involve the provision of affordable credit and supporting services for engaging young people in productive economic venture 19 32) The National Mobilization programme will be reorganized and given proper policy direction. It will be encouraged to operate as a co-operative and to become self-supporting and profit-oriented. 33) The establishment of Ghana as a platform for producing for export to neighbouring and the international markets will generate employment avenues for technically skilled labour in the electronics and electrical appliances assembling industry 34) Ensuring modernization and availability of urban housing. For instance, subject to the agreement of stakeholders, slums shall be replaced with 93apartment houses" with modern conveniences, which will be cost-effective and environmentally friendly 35) Re-sitting of automobile and other service workshops to make them economically viable through inter-dependent and productive linkages 36) The NPP government will therefore give priority attention to the protection of the country's 960 km coastline from erosion by the sea. It will systematically make provision for the construction of sea defences structures where the coastline is threatened. 37) The NPP is aware of the annual flooding of large parts of the North= ern and Upper Regions as a result of the opening of spillways of dams in Burkina Faso, especially when this happens during the rainy season. The NPP government shall embark on a very comprehensive programme to provide structures to protect these regions 38) The NPP will substantially increase the domestic budget allocation for Rural Water Development. By 2010 at least 90% of all Ghanaians will have access t= o clean water supplies, and water borne disease will largely become a thing of the past 39) The NPP proposes to launch a special Housing The People Scheme which shall focus on low-cost housing, urban renewal and rural housing 23 40) Measures will be taken to remove constraints on housing development, such as land disputes and litigation, corruption in land administration and other abuses which inflate construction costs. 41) Tourism.Other initiatives of NPP government will include the downward review of the cost of entry visa acquisition and airport taxes 42) The NPP government will provide government loan guarantees under a new programme called the Small Business Assistance Programme. Under this programme, an NPP government will guarantee 80 percent of the loans provided to qualified SMEs. 43) Indeed, the trend around the world today is for nations to fund and implement policies to give their industries a competitive edge on the increasingly competitive world markets. An NPP government will actively support the gathering, financing, administering and diffusion of new technologies for our firms 44) To this end, an NPP government will help establish a Technologies Information Network, involving our universities, research institutions, industry associations, and key government agencies. The purpose of this Network will be to gather information on technology and related services from around the world and make it easily available to industry. Locally generated technologies will be critically assessed and included in the Network's database. The Network will also help firms identify, acquire, and adapt the best technologies. Qualified science and technology staff will be attached to our Missions abroad to feed the Network with relevant information 45) To encourage technological innovation by Ghanaians, open competitions will be held at regular intervals, at regional levels, aimed at rewarding persons or groups of persons for outstanding interventions, through the application of science and technology, which will provide solutions to clearly defined problems 46) NPP government will establish a subsidized apprenticeship scheme of a national dimension to enable those who fail to receive university education acquire skills for worthwhile vocations. 47) The NPP government will seek to alleviate this pressure by rapidly establishing decentralized polytechnics. High quality institutions offering focused courses in built-up areas will be encouraged to facilitate commuting from existing residential facilities 48) Promote science and technology at grassroots level, through science exhibitions and fairs in villages as well as urban centres, popularize income-generating technologies, and facilitate interaction between entrepreneurs an scientists/technologists 30 49) Institute annual science and technology awards for innovation and best performance in key areas from district to national level to bring out the best in all categories of learners and practitioners 50) Encourage innovators and inventors through a scheme for funding the development of new ideas for solving practical problems and the recognition of merit by suitable awards at regular intervals 51) NPP government will ensure that at least a community health nurse is located in every hamlet of the country. 52) Overseas Treatment of Top Government Officials: The incoming NPP government shall abolish this practice. Currently, the budget provided for this type of treatment is shrouded in secrecy, and so also the method of selection of patients and the types of diseases treated abroad. NPP government will rather put emphasis on improving health facilities in Ghana so that overseas treatment at public expense can be curtailed. 53) Strengthening the Audit Service and insisting on regular and timely audits of government ministries and agencies (including the District Assemblies) and expeditious applications of appropriate sanctions to offenders 54) The NPP disagrees with the present arrangement for the appointment and removal of District Chief Executives; ultimately, they will have to be freely elected 55) NPP government will take steps to amend Article 248 of the 1992 Constitution to make Local Government elections partisan 56) Give high priority to Police housing. 57) The NPP government will through such centres, establish half-way" houses to smoothen the re-integration of discharged convicts into society. 58) The NPP government will provide some financial support for the operations of political parties and will co-operate with all other political parties as essential organs in the governance of the country. The statement said, In as much as the President Mills led government has vowed not to repeat this scandal, we believe constant reminders will help all of us deepen good governance and ensure that politicians do not take the people of this great country for granted." In concluding, Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa said government continues to welcome assessments on how we are faring, we hope that the NPP will also welcome assessments on how they fared hoping that they take a brief moment to reflect on how they could be so spiteful to the Ghanaian people and offer cogent explanations why they will not repeat the unenviable feat if giving another chance before embarking on another promising spree."