General News of Monday, 21 October 2019

Source: 3news.com

Mahama to campaign on ‘bottom-up’ manifesto

Former President John Mahama play videoFormer President John Mahama

Former President John Dramani Mahama says the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will adopt a “bottom-up” manifesto for the electioneering campaign next year.

This is what has informed a stakeholders’ tour ahead of the unveiling of the party’s manifesto in the quest to reclaim power.

“We don’t think that it is good to make [the manifesto] top-to-bottom,” he said on Monday, October 21, when he met the leadership of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA).

“It is bottom-up so that we incorporate what the genuine opinions of people who are working in those particular sectors have to influence government policy so that when we are implementing the policy, you don’t only own it but you know that you have been part of drawing the policy,” he said.

Mr. Mahama is meeting the various stakeholders in order to collate opinions in drafting his manifesto for 2020.

His consultation tour has seen him already meet the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

His meeting with the GMA on Monday had in company NDC’s leadership including chairman Samuel Ofosu Ampofo.

President of the GMA Dr. Frank Ankobea was happy with the meeting, saying those in the various professions also have voting rights and their opinions must matter in policy-making.

He congratulated the former president for the gesture.

Mr Mahama assured that the meeting will extend to conditions of service as well as continuous training for medical practitioners.