NDC as a party has claimed to be built on the philosophy of Socialism. Socialism in it simplest term refers to the philosophy of a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to control by the government. This control may be either direct, execised through popular collectives such as workers' councils or indirectly exercised on behalf of the people by the state. To a lay man, it is simply a socio-economic policy where the government directly disburses wealth to the people directly or idirectly.

In this sense therefore, a true socialist government like NDC should be seen directly bearing the burden of the people in at least areas of basic necessities like health care, education, utility bills, food and accomodation. With a longer arm socialist governments also cushions fuel prices.

President Mills is leading a party in power which boldly preach socialism. Directly opposite to their ideology is the biggest opposition party NPP which rather goes with capitalism. Capitalism is the ideology that promotes individual wealth grown without state control. Where individuals are given free hand to own assets without government interferance. Wealth created by the individuals themselves with the government only making policies that will allow the growth of the individuals independently. In this system, unlike socialism, government is not obliged to directly bare the loads of the individuals, they are enriched to bare their own burden comfortably.

Now let us take a look at the policies so far implemented by the socialist government of His excellency Prof. Mills in his first two and half years in office as compared to the Capitalist NPP policies when they were in power. I have already told you that socialists are expected to bare the burden of the people directly because they control the means of production and wealth.

For simplicity lets take the basic necessities (health care, education, utility bills, food and accomodation) one after the other. Fuel pricing can also come on an extended term.

On Health care I can boldly say that there have never been a time when the NDC ever took the resposibility to take the cost of health care on behalf of the Ghanaian in our history. When Ghanains of my age who knows only the Rawlings, Kuffour and Mills government first heard that the government can bear the cost of your health care, it was when the NPP came into power. Before then all we knew was cash and cary. The days doctors abandoned patients to die because they had no money to pay for their bills before they were treated. It was the National health insurance scheme that gave the poor who was sick hope that when he get to the hospital he will be treated without paying a penny. All one needed is the annual premium and your health bills are taken care of. The NDC opposed this policy on every media and especially on every radio program but when it started working all Ghanaians enjoyed it, NDC and NPP alike. Pregnant women had courage to visit the hospital regularly. Old people had regular check-ups and treatments for free. If my friend Fred was sick during that time he wont have died. Cash and carry introduced by socialist NDC killed my best friend.

Two and half years into office President Mills and his socialist NDC are stiffling this good policy. Rampaging vandals who call themselves NDC foot sodiers taking over National Health Insurance Offices, destroying what was painstakenly built by a hard working government who cared about the dying Ghanaian. Health insurance now is a mess, maternity mortality is increasing. Old people are no more given the free medications they use to receive. The shelves in the hospitals are empty. Every drug must be bought by the patient including paracitamol for my 6 months old baby who is on the NHIC. A total failure in the health care by the so-called socialist government led by President Fiifi Atta Mills is what we are seeing.

In education the New Patriotic Party made it possible for every Ghanaian child of school going age to march to the classroom regardless of his background. Every child could go to school up to JSS level without paying a fee. Not just that parents who could not afford the meals for their children during the school hours took a deep sigh of relief when the Shool Feeding Program was introduced. NDC under president Mills has vitually collapsed this program. Supporters of his party went from school to school chasing out workers of the School Feeding Program and the Law Professor and his leaders lauded the actions. More children are roaming the streets now because their parents cant simply afford their meals and the free male they use to get is no more. Will you call that a socialist policy?

During the NPP regime out of the money I send to my family only 7 - 10 euro of it went into utility bills but now it needs about 40 to 50 euro to pay bills an astronomical rise of about 400% under a socialist government expected to bare some of my burden. Prof Mills sworn heaven and earth to reduce the difficulties Ghanaians were facing but now he has added pains to our pain. Our bills now are 400% higher with the lights always off and the taps dry whilst weija is overflowing and displacing residents. Again the NPP treated Ghanains better with regard to utility bills, at least the lights were almost always on. There was no "dum so dum so" like we are seing now.

With food supply, Ghanains heard of the existence of siloes built by Dr Nkrumah during the reign of President Kuffour and the NPP. It was when The Late Courage Quashigah (may his soul rest in peace) then Minister of food and agriculture gathered food stuffs from all accross Ghana and stored them in these siloes so that cost of food remained the same from January to December. Government gathered the supplus in the bumper and released them into the market in the lean season. The cost of kenkey in January was the same as in December, first in history. Now our women go to the market with fears because what he bought yesterday at 10 cedis will be 12 cedis tomorrow or even more. The Akomadan and Wenchi Tomato factories are dying under H E Prof Mills socialist govt. Food prices are sky rocketting.

President Mills and his NDC government made the biggest promises on accommodation but till now I dont know if you have got your apartment yet or even heard of anybody accommodated under an NDC accommodation project. The few that were given to people under the Kuffour administration were re-shared. The Father for all president and his government virtually seazed the apartments from the Ghanaians occupying the rooms and given to NDC sypathizers. The only accommodation projec; STX that seemed so sure to be completed soon is now a huge white ephant. NDC itself knows they have failed on it but they dont know how to come public and tell Ghanaians.

I wont have talked about fuel prices because it is not an obligation on a socialist government but because of the Promises the "God (I dont know which god, whether the one of the "Juju ring" or some other) fearing" made to Ghanaians I will just highlight on it. The percentage of increase in fuel prices in the NDCs two years in power is unpresidented and open for all who want to see. He promised "a drastical decrease" and offered a drastical increase. With all these president Mills has virtually failed on the very policies and philosophies of his own party and government. Socialist bares the burden of the people but the Mills - Mahama led administration is rather burdenning Ghanaians. President Mills has virtually reversed all what he claim to stand for. The worst of it, they have also colapsed invidual growth with increased taxes. They are neither helping the individual to grow nor baring their burden with them. God help Ghana. Ghanains will fire Pres Mills and his "greedy bastards" for these and many others come 2012.

Noah Dugubrame Asare,

Frankfurt, Germany.