Deputy information minister, Hon. Baba Jamal has underscored the need for intellectual discourse towards the National Democratic Congress’ victory in the 2012 general elections.
Speaking as the guest speaker at a forum organized by the University of Education, Winneba-Kumasi branch of the Tertiary Educational Institutions Network (TEIN), the Deputy Information Minister spoke on a wide range of issues including the Ivorian crisis and the stance of the Ghanaian government, internal wrangling within the NDC as well as the presidents recent commissioning of projects all over the country.
On teachers’ single spine salary issues, he stated that, after correcting the earlier mistakes, it has been realized that the salaries are still low and added that work is frantically being done to ensure that teachers get an appreciable raise in their salaries.
He says the NDC is moving forward but cannot do so without TEIN; hence the need to motivate TEIN to enable it play its role towards the NDC’s forward march.
“The Prof. Mills led NDC is a party that gives hope to the youth, having appointed a lot of young people into governance”, the minister stated.
He emphasized the importance of a “one man, one vote” policy to be implemented “this time around” that the NDC is in government or else the party would not be seen as being a serious party.
According to him, what the NDC has done in terms of infrastructure is unprecedented and is second only to the achievements of the government of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, stating that the next election is not going to be about projects but rather on the personalities of President John Evans Atta Mills and Nana Akuffo Addo.
On Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings’ decision to contest President Mills in the next NDC primaries, Hon. Baba Jamal emphasized the need for decorum and circumspection in dealing with the matter so that the aftermath of the party’s primaries leaves the party stronger than it already is.
The chairman for the Kwadaso constituency for his part promised to support TEIN to enable it work hard to retain the NDC in power.
Students were given opportunities to ask questions bothering them concerning the workings of the current government.
-Bernard Buachi,
Focus fm, Kumasi.