Sampa (B/A) Aug. 3, GNA - Nana Kwadwo Seinti, Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister on Thursday said it was politically wrong and unpatriotic for the electorate to tie demands for development projects with voting in national general election.
He said provision of development projects and casting of one's vote in an election to elect a President and parliamentarians were two separate responsibilities that should not be used as a condition by the electorate to intimidate politicians.
Nana Seinti deplored the attitude when he addressed separate durbars of the chiefs and people of Sampa, Goka and Adadiem in the Jaman district of the region as part of a three-day familiarization tour.
"We are not saying that vote for us before we discharge our responsibilities of ensuring the well-being of the people as a Government, because voting and developmental projects, though bedfellows are not necessarily the same issue".
The Regional Minister explained that, whilst the provision of socio-economic infrastructure for improvement in the lives of the people was the primary responsibility of the Government, the exercise of franchise was also the civic responsibility of every qualified voter, including those in Government.
It is unjustifiable and inappropriate therefore, for a community to
make the provision of social amenities and economic infrastructure a pre-condition to vote because whether the people vote or not the Government will not discriminate in giving each community its due share of the national cake, Nana Seinti added.
Nana Seinti stated that the Government did not use the criterion of where the people voted for it or not in the last Presidential and Parliamentary elections before responding to their needs, "since once a Government, we are for the interests of all Ghanaians".
He stressed that the Government was poised to ensure that all communities benefit from the a fair, equitable and balanced development in the provision of good roads, electricity, potable water and schools for growth of local industries, particularly in the rural areas. Refusal to vote is only a disservice to oneself, since the wise are ruled by foolish people if they refuse to participate in the election of leaders, he said.
Nana Kofi Sono II, Omanhene of Sampa in a welcoming address appealed to the Government to save the Sampa Government Hospital from its distressed situation.
He said the community, through its own resources had built a mortuary valued at about 80 million cedis but needed a refrigerator and other facilities to operate, as well as further assistance to complete current projects under construction at the hospital, including operating Theatre, Medical Ward and a bungalow for the Resident Doctor.
The Omanhene added that the hospital required an expansion of other existing facilities like the Wards for admission of patients and the out-patients department (opd) as the hospital's capacity could no longer cope with the patient in-flow.
Nana Sono disclosed that doctor-patient ratio at the hospital was about 1:400 and coupled with the frequent seminars and workshops that took away the only medical officer, the situation got worse at those times.
He appealed to the Minister of Health and the Ghana Health Service for an additional medical officer to be posted to the hospital to save the situation.
At Adadiem, Nana Seinti urged the chiefs and people to revive the local pottery industry and develop keen interest in its growth for the progress of the community.
He gave the assurance that the Government would offer them assistance to enable them to give value to their products to meet modern and international market standards.
Nana Kofi Fofie II, chief of the town, appealed to the Government to absorb the local nursery and kindergarten into the public system to relieve the community of the burden of paying the salaries of the teachers and attendants.
The Regional Minister, who inspected both on-going and completed developmental projects being undertaken by the Jaman District Assembly with funds from various government agencies, visited 16 towns and villages including Drobo, district capital, Suma-Ahenkro and Zezera, a border town.