Opinions of Thursday, 5 September 2013

Columnist: Amponsa-Dadzie, Paa Kofi Freeman

NDC govt must solve Ghana’s socio-economic problems

NDC must now help Ghana. 25 years of ruling a country is no mean achievement. Now, having won the Supreme Court case, the way is clear for NDCs to produce results in government. Their politicians, scholars, serial web writers and political commentators must come together to solve real problems facing the poor country: The people want action, and for that matter, I am personally happy that NPP’s Election Petition has come to an end: We now face reality, which is NDC's exposure to socio-economic problems they have created in Ghana since their return to power in 2008, including the following:

- Woyome and Judgement Debts - the mounting revelations from Apau's Commission and the monies involved are huge and even far more than the GH8300000000000.00 we first estimated. We can do a lot with this money like constructing KVIP Toilets to relieve many Ghanaians who openly defecate along our beaches in the coastal areas of Volta, Accra and Central Regions; tree stumps and manholes in Eastern, Brong Ahafo and Ashanti Regions and the Savannah plains in Northern Ghana; as well as plastic bags in the country’s Markets…This is the bestial level NDC has plunged Ghana into after ruling us for 25 good years.
- To me, the most disturbing situation in Ghana today is the Filth, Squalor and Poor Sanitation, which has led to the phenomenal increase in Respiratory Tract Infections and spread of bacterial and viral infections that kill so many poor Ghanaians. Everywhere in Ghana the stench hits you hard. The foul stench coming from Takoradi gutter pavements; Cape Coast London Bridge; Accra Lagos Town; Pig farm; Mamprobi; James Town; Kumasi City market; Tamale Metropolis; Sekondi-Inchaban…and almost everywhere you go makes you remember the local song - stench no…ooo agye bebiara, stench no agye bebiara”! The huge pile of rubbish dumps confronts you at every turn in such a beautiful country. When NDC were last in power, they stopped removing rubbish by breaking down all the rubbish dumps in the cities and towns of Ghana. They did not put anything back in place, forcing Ghanaians to throw rubbish anywhere. Wherever you go, you see people carrying rubbish and sometimes faeces in plastic bags and throwing them into nearby bush. Recently, AMA Officials said, 70% of all the Rubbish they remove from Makola Market is FAECES: Yes. Our Mothers and Sisters pay tolls and taxes but do not get common decent toilet to use, and thus suffer such indignity of going to toilet in their stalls and wrapping them up in plastic bags to be thrown away in the very market they sell food to human beings to consume. WOW. I always knew Ghana under P/NDC will come to this for they are talkative and lazy! The Supreme Court case has finished, and there’s no more excuses again: NDC Government must now build new toilets in Markets for Ghanaians to use.
- The Parliamentary Assets Committee has recently revealed that P/NDC Governments under Rawlings, Atta Mills and Mahama have only collected less than $1 Billion of $8.7 Billion of Debts owed to the Divestiture Implementation Committee from THEIR sale of 330 State Assets to their cronies/associates. For example, what happens to the GLAHCO Properties Gaddafi purchased from Rawlings? Who runs these properties today? We need our monies or properties back, and therefore call upon Ghanaians not to allow this to be swept under carpet. It is not fair for NDC to take us for granted by selling State Properties without Accounting for them. This is one of the major reasons for all the tension and agitation by victims of their harsh revolution, who suffered horrendously at the hands of their persecutors in NDC for far less crimes. NDC must be very careful, and do the right thing by collecting our monies back from those who bought our Gold, Diamond, Bauxite, Manganese Mines as well as Ships, Hotels, Factories, State Corporations, Lands and many other State properties! This is no joke…We can use the money to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth of Ghana, or revive these Industries by recapitalising them with Investors to create viable jobs for the people of Ghana…Why are Ghanaians quiet about this? NDC must account for these debts!

- NDC Government must also deal with the spiralling effects of reducing secondary schooling from 4 to 3 years again. I know ignorance and lack of good education is a political strategy of NDC, who seem to win many votes from illiterate populations across the country during Elections: BUT we cannot allow a country that produced so many scholars prior to the Rawlings Revolution to sink so low forever. We have to take these people to task for mismanaging our education system and producing semi-literates in the country. Also what do we do with all these many, many SSS leavers coming out of these schools annually? NDC is storing big trouble for Ghana and we must force them to tackle the educational crisis. Primary Schools do not have any teaching and learning resources - good textbooks, equipment and proper Teachers and Assistants. I always weep when I remember the good old days when we had Seven Year Secondary School Education. I come from Cape Coast and saw these intelligent and fragrant students going to school for 7 good years, and then move on to achieve professional careers and change the destinies of their poor families. Sixth Form Education is ever so popular everywhere except Ghana under NDC. When President Kufuor added only a year to secondary schooling, these same NDC people reduced it again to three years to let Ghanaians remain backward, indolent, illiterate and ignorant so that they can easily deceive them during elections…Except the children of the CPP leaders like Mahama’s father, NDCs have used their own good education to change their own lifestyles, and then destroyed the same good education for others, whiles educating their children overseas. NDC cannot get away with this and should be made to account for the poor state of our education.

- Then the indebtedness of $8.1 Billion incurred between September and December 2012: NDC says the huge monies were used to pay Single Spine Salary, but it is revealed that only GH 2 Billion CEDIS was used for salaries and wages. What did they do with the rest of this huge sums of money, if they were not used to finance NDC 2012 Elections? I was in Ghana in November 2012 when I saw with my own eyes many GOODS being shared openly and blatantly to many Ghanaians prior to the elections: I was so ashamed to see Elders in Society like Chiefs, Imams, Pastors, Opinion leaders, Student Leaders receiving from the NDC Government many Saloon cars for no reason than to sway them to their side. The House of Chiefs led by J S Nabila, got Vans and Saloon cars: I saw NDC people distributing Outboard Motors to their people in the fishing villages. They all took these things without pricking their conscience that it’s our money they are stealing. Sewing Machines were distributed to loud mouthed Ghanaian women, who can now talk even more politics than men. On 15th November 2012, NDC took delivery of ONE Million Motor Bikes from China: Instead of distributing them to State Corporations; Teachers in Villages; Hospitals; Universities; Ministries and so on, they rather gave them to their supporters. It was a big blow to Ghana’s ailing industry. Then the Lap Top Computers they foolishly distributed to ordinary supporters of NDC; instead of giving these to schools and Colleges and working Institutions of the country! The cost of these bribery items distributed openly to Ghana in addition to the stockpile of GH50 Cedi Notes they shared among Voters is the cost of the GH 8.7 Billion Cedi Indebtedness we face now: This is a clear case of gross irresponsibility! These monies were taken from Central Bank of Ghana under the auspices of Amissah Arthur, and we must probe into it now that the dust has settled over this Supreme Court case: For Ghana does not belong to only NDC people, and must not think they have the right to do whatever they like with it!

- NPP followers must copy President Kufuor and Nana Akuffo Addo and Dr Bawumia by keeping quiet for NDC to deal with the country’s poor economy; bankruptcy; low agricultural produce; low industrial output; constant electricity cuts; water shortages and more unemployment ...These are major socio-economic problems. NDC Government under this ‘Validly’ Elected President Mahama must now DEAL with these bread and butter issues now...than the ‘jaw jaw’ and celebrity circus freak show that has characterised this dormant Presidency.

- NDC must be made to fulfil their lavish promises: In Cape Coast alone, we are waiting for NDC promises of building a Sports Stadium, Teaching Hospital, Market, Slavery Library and solving the unemployment galore in a town of able bodied beggars…And Mahama never stops promising to turn Ghana into a land flowing milk and honey, with the Asontagba projects etc.

- NDC must deal with teeming masses of unemployment of NDC supporters throughout the country. If they could provide employment for only their supporters, then almost half of our problems are solved. They can use the cleaning of Filth and Poor Sanitation as a base for real employment than the age old voluntary project where rice and Akpeteshie are distributed to unemployed volunteers. NDC must do something in Ghana. They cannot run around the place in big cars talking and talking to no end. NO. This has gone on for 25 years now. 25 years of ruling a country demands real answers to the problems they themselves have created, and NDC has many academicians and experienced politicians to do something for the poor country. We need action, and must force them to account for their stewardship. They must work hard now to help their own country! They must SOLVE problems for once than all the personality driven politics NDC propagandists know best. It’s boring now to hear always of political semantics and ideological wrangling of meaning to lives of ordinary

NDC won’t divert attention again from the reality of governance to empty, jaundiced political rhetoric and constant bickering they enjoy so much. There was no evidence of any solid and concrete achievement when P/NDC ruled Ghana for 19 years, and sold all our state properties, as well as destroying our education system...BUT NOT Again! We must now watch NDC's handiwork; we are tired of NDC verbal trickery...for propaganda politics is tedious enough...
NDC is in power enjoying the handiwork of NPP including the efforts of Kufuor, Bawumia and Nana Akuffo Addo to build Presidential Palace and Plane, Oil Discovery, BUI Dam, and many useful, productive, good things in a typical case of “monkey dey work; baboons they chop” syndrome, where they enjoy the sweat and sacrifices of hardworking NPP Politicians

Now is the time for NDC faithful to stretch forth their hands and deliver for the people of Ghana...Just Fulfil your promises and clean Ghana and restore the battered economy and shut your bitter mouths...It is now back to reality now, NDC: We wait for the delivery van of goodies for people dying in their thousands from common hunger; common hernia operations; starving to death for lack of a good diet and simple medication for their ailments, arising for basic poor hygiene…Ghana has indeed suffered under 25 years of NDC rule: They will now be on the pedestal for all to see their handiwork. President Kuffuor’s NPP has given these NDC’s good stand: For where will these NDC government be without the OIL and BUI Dam? NDC do something now for your country!