NDC Steals Policies – Afoko

Paul Afoko
The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been accused of pirating policies and programmes whose implementation it has little or no knowledge of.

According to the National Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Paul Afoko, the NDC has proven that it lacks the capacity to formulate feasible policies and programmes of its own to better the situation of Ghanaians and must be shown the exit in 2016.

He said the NDC is always in a rush to implement laudable programmes and policies of its political opponents, even though they make propaganda out of them without trying to get a solid grasp of the ingredients that make such visions successful.

This, he added, was enough grounds to tell Ghanaians and the electorate that the NDC had lost direction and could further jeopardize the economy if concrete steps were not taken.

Speaking to Abaawa Radio in London, he disclosed that prior to the 2008 General Elections, the NPP in its campaign messages promised the people of the North, the Northern Development Fund (NDF), a pro poor programme which was aimed at bridging the yawning developmental gap between the North and the South.

The NDC, then in opposition, fiercely criticized the move, but on realizing that many elites from the North were falling for it, they blindly copied it and changed the name to Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA).

The current quagmire and staggering nature of SADA, he noted, has clearly demonstrated that the NDC has woefully failed the North with the policy that was meant to make life better for them.

Mr. Afoko also cited the issue of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy; a major campaign tool of the NPP in the run-up to the 2012 General Elections which was also criticized with claims that it was not feasible because government had no resources to shoulder its cost.

Interestingly, however, he explained, President John Dramani Mahama during his last State of the Nation Address, opted for the implementation of the same policy in 2015/2016, wondering what had changed.

He said the NDC could not be trusted and urged Ghanaians home and abroad to stick to the NPP – the party with original ideas and with the capacity to implement them to the letter.

He observed that some people are supporting the NDC for good reasons but there are better reasons for which they must switch their attention towards the NPP which would not renege on its promises to the citizenry.

The 2016 General Elections, Mr. Afoko emphasized, would be issue-based, urging Ghanaians home and abroad to exhibit their love for the country by mandating the NPP which has the best track record in properly managing the country’s economy.

‘Ghana cannot be lagging behind while other countries are advancing. The NPP is the only party that can ensure that the country catches up with its compatriots,’ he remarked.

The National Chairman reminded members of the party that they were in opposition and should not wait for election period before they began canvassing for votes, noting that there was much work to be done in the face of plans by the incumbent president to seek a second term.

Mr. Afoko said he was open to support, underscoring the significance of past constituency, regional and national executives in forging ahead with a united party that would make it strong and resolute to win the 2016 elections.

He indicated that issues about the Tamale Congress were no longer relevant, stating that it was time the party settled to work.

‘Every right thinking member of the NPP and those who love Ghana must help get a better government in power. We must work against manipulation of the 2016 general elections through the use of aggression to falsely usurp the people’s ballot during elections,’ he concluded.

 By Stephen Zoure,