The National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Peter Mac Manu, has described as ‘deceit’ and ‘criminal’ of the highest order the manner the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has withdrawn its original 2008 manifesto and replaced it with a new one that has less promises.
“This is the height of criminal dishonesty. Is this a government we can trust?. Is this the government we can count on to deliver improvement in our lives,” he asked.
Mr Mac Manu, who was addressing a press conference about recent developments in the country in Accra yesterday, wondered why the promises that appeared in the original manifesto duly signed by the party’s flag bearer, Prof JEA Mills, had been removed in the new manifesto.
He said the promises came under a broad heading, “Teachers motivation and retention” and they included improve salaries, accommodation and retirement benefits; pay licensed teachers a professional allowances of 15 per cent of the basic salary; pay technical-vocational education teachers an additional 10 per cent allowance of basic salary and pay teachers in deprived areas an additional allowance of 20 per cent of basic salary.
He said the lack of ideas and the indecisive nature of the NDC government at a time when the country required bold leadership was not good, and that this attempt to smuggle promises out of their manifesto suggested that they did not believe they could do it.
Mr Mac Manu suggested to the Mills Administration to hold a national conference of experts and practitioners from all the sectors of the economy within 21 days to deliberate on the challenges facing the country and find solutions to such problems.
“We also appeal to all Ghanaians, irrespective of our political persuasion to come together to help the government govern this country. It is a duty we owe to our motherland,” he added.
Mr Mac Manu said the current global economic downturn had prompted governments all over the world to put in place creative and comprehensive strategies to protect their economies. “Yet, the NDC government is just staring, unsure of what needs to be done. Unfortunately, the world is not waiting for us”.
He expressed worry at the increasing hikes in the prices of basic items and quoted the Ghana Statistical Service which had stated that the prices of items have, on the average, increased by 20.53 per cent over prices at the same time last year.
Mr Mac Manu said while the rate of price increases was the fastest in the last five years, the government wanted to aggravate the problem by initiating process of withdrawing the subsidy on electricity and other utilities put in place by the Kufuor Administration.
He said while the prices were sky rocketing, the government had not done anything about salaries of those in the public sector.
“Though the government had refused to accept the work of the Fair Wages and Salary Commission and promised to revise the salary administration arrangements they inherited from the NPP government, nothing has been heard since,” Mr Mac Manu added.
However, he said the only defence the NDC Government had put up was that the documentation it received on salary administration in Ghana was missing and this had resulted in public sector workers confused as to how their salaries would be determined.
Mr Mac Manu catalogued some of the security threats that had emerged under the NDC government as the seizure of cars, assault on innocent citizens for political reason, creation of arbitrariness and unhealthy interference in sports from, assault on journalists and the emerging intolerance of the critical media.
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