President John Evans Atta Mills
A former deputy Speaker of Parliament, Freddy Worsemao Blay, has described President John Evans Atta Mills’ Thursday state-of-the-nation address as “insipid” and “pedestrian”.
According to Mr Blay, the former Member of Parliament for Ellembelle, the address lacked qualities that could interest or challenge the people to move forward in nation building.
“The whole speech did not talk about employment or job creation, not one word about industries. He spent more time on school uniforms and penalty kicks than about the high cost of doing business in Ghana,” he opined.
“On his delivery he was persistent and stuck to the issues,” Mr. Blay also told Citi FM, adding, “On the speech itself, it was very simple and very uninspiring.”
President Mills spoke on the developments in various sectors of the country including education, agriculture, security and employment as well as the upcoming elections in December. However, his fourth state-of-the-nation address yesterday was met with mixed feelings.
Trade and Industry Minister Hannah Tetteh expressed utter surprise at Mr. Blay’s views. She said her boss was rather superb.
According to Tetteh she thought the President had delivered a “good performance” of his stewardship and it indicated that the NDC was determined to “fulfill the Better Ghana agenda.”
However, the NPP MP for Adansi Asokwa in the Ashanti region, K. T Hammond, was apprehensive on the President’s reference to the region during his address.
The lawmaker said: “For the fourth time he [President Mills] got himself in a twist by saying he is going to visit mayhem on the Ashanti region. Why the Ashanti region? We know the gargantuan plans he has for the region. To isolate that place and speak on it is very unnerving. I think those who wrote the speech for him did him great disservice. ”
Meanwhile, the General-Secretary of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, felt the President was completely out of touch with the realities on the ground. “I expected nothing better from him and I wasn’t disappointed in that regard,” he said.
The CPP Communications Director, Nii Armah Akomfrah said: “He touched on various issues as is expected per the laws of our land, but he failed to speak to the problems of the ordinary Ghanaian. He said inflation is currently at 8. 7% but how does that affect the lives of the people?”Akomfrah was quick to add that he found the conduct of the minority in parliament “disgusting”.
The Minister-designate for Information, Hon Fritz Baffuor, however, thought President Mills gave “a sterling performance and did not shy away from all the pertinent issues.”