Opinions of Saturday, 5 January 2008

Columnist: GNP

New Year Message from GNP

NEW YEAR MESSAGE TO ALL GHANAIAS. GHANA NATIONAL PARTY.

Fellow Countrymen and women, after 50 years of self government, our Country is still searching for ways to economic freedom.

A new beginning is therefore needed for Ghana. Our people are itching for a new Ghana and a new leadership that will bring in great new ideas and possibilities. They are asking for a new dream, and they envision a brand new future away from the politics as usual. The politics of hatred, the politics of vindictiveness, the politics of tribal considerations and the politics of cronyism.

Our Message. As some may notice, Ghana National Party’s initials GNP stands for GREAT NEW POSSIBILITIES!

1. Our VISION is to lead and MANAGE Ghana for all Ghanaians, rich and poor, with honesty, integrity, discipline, fairness and selflessness to serve our people. 2. Our MISSION is to effect changes in Ghana by making the Role of Government be to serve the people of Ghana, and not serve the few elected.

3. Our OBJECTIVES are to implement

a. Swift changes in the way our civil service operates.

b. Immediately upgrade civil service pay structure whiles at the same time setting measurable performance goals for service to the people they serve.

c. Implement a strong moral and ethical code and standards for civil service performance, as well as the way business is conducted in Ghana in general.

d. Change government asset ownership of houses to private ownership and provide a new form of Mortgage financing to make civil servants own and manage their own homes;

e. As a matter of priority, we will identify all residents and citizens, residential and commercial real property and businesses in Ghana, and set up a meaningful taxation system, reducing the tax burden on the few and rather spreading the net.

f. We will implement the decentralization clause spelled out in the constitution and have districts and regions elect their own chief executives. This will require a constitutional amendment to reduce the overall direct responsibilities of the Presidency and hence make the job more focused. The President of Ghana should not have any hand in electing DCEs and RCEs. GNP will advocate relentlessly for every needed constitutional amendment.

g. Use modern management techniques to manage the nation and our resources starting from the President’s office down to all government operations in all villages.

Fellow Ghanaians, in our Manifesto, we have outlined many of our goals and objectives in meeting the energy demands and challenges, the health, sanitation, security, educational and emergency needs of the nation and how to use modern technology and participate as equal partners with the rest of the world in the age of globalization and competition. We have outlined how to move forward to the modern art of managing our nation by reducing the waste in our bureaucracy and governmental systems that have as well been a factor for bribery and corruption, and have prevented us from moving forward in the last 4 or more decades.

THE WAY FORWARD. In the past three decades or more, our leaders have relinquished control of the destiny of our nation to the World Bank and IMF. We have had many fancy economic terms coined for the poor attached to our budgets. These have included names and acronyms, such as ERP (Economic Recovery Program), SAP (Structural Adjustment Program), HIPC, Micro Economics and more. These have all been a failure without economic translation on the people of Ghana. How long and many more shall we entertain failed economic programs, How long?

The bottom line should have been obvious, and that is, the destiny of Ghana should be in the hands of Ghanaians! Period! Our current President and his Ministers, as well as Chief Directors have been traveling all over the world to beg for loans and aid, while our vast arable lands lie fallow with our able young boys and girls selling dog chains on our streets. In the mean time, our aging farmers are retiring but there is nothing being done to encourage our young people to farming, and hence the use of hard earned dollars for the importation of rice and other food items for our consumption. This is unacceptable.

Fellow Ghanaians, nobody should get the impression that just because the past has been so gloomy and hopeless for most of our people; the nation of Ghana is doomed. No! Any ideas of we-can’t-do it should be completely erased from your mind now!

Ghana National Party has been born and is here to stay! The people of Ghana have indicated they are tired of years of the same old political lies, deceptions and the display of ill-gotten wealth to obtain power that provides no service to them. The good people of Ghana have indicated it is time for change! Over 50% of the national income is spent as privileges on Ministers and top Government officials and misappropriation of funds in our government functions. Ghana National Party is dedicated to change the chronic system of deficit spending and create a national culture of savings for a prosperous Ghana. Fellow Ghanaians, fifty years ago, when Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah came to the political scene, he brought and preached his message of Political independence Now! He preferred self Government in danger to servitude in tranquility. The good people of Ghana overwhelmingly supported his call and Ghana became independent in 1957. Fifty years after independence, Ghana is still languishing in economic prison and needs to be freed. Political independence without economic independence is meaningless, and we therefore need to wage relentless economic war to free our people from slavery. Again, we need the total support of all those who have suffered and continue to suffer under the harsh economic conditions in the country to change the dysfunctional political system beyond the old political traditions. In December this year, we will be going through the process of electing a new President and parliamentarians. Ghana National Party will like to remind the people that it will do us no good voting the same old political parties that have failed the country the last thirty years to office. There is nothing new they will tell us that will let them change the way politics has been conducted in Ghana. It has been always politics of lies, deceptions, greed, selfishness, bribery and corruption and utter display of undeserved affluence, at the expense of the people of Ghana. The power to change the destiny of Ghana and Ghanaians is the power of your THUMBS. Let us look at the unbearable cost of everything in the country and vote GHANA NATIONAL PARTY for change. Ours is to serve the people and create opportunities for all. Wishing all Ghanaians a happy, healthy, prosperous and peaceful 2008 and beyond.

We need the support of all to wage this crusade for change. GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

Ofori Ampofo (Co founder / Executive chairman)

Email. ampofoofori@yahoo.com