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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has responded to various issues raised by the General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah during a press conference held on Tuesday.

Asiedu Nketiah at a press conference held to respond to the 'True State of the Nations Address' presented by Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo, flagbearer of the NPP said “the undesirable and distasteful behavior and practice of the NPP has sought to sink Ghana’s image as a peaceful democratic nation. Their thirst for intra-party violence and unconventional methods as the preferred method for settling disagreements is seen as the major threat to our democratic practice today.” 

Addressing various issues raised by Nana Addo, Asiedu Nketiah said the NPP are just trying to score cheap political points.

The NPP in a statement has also responded to Asiedu Nketiah. According to them, the NDC General Secretary refused to speak to the facts.

Read portions of the statement below


Ladies and Gentlemen of the media,

Thanks for attending to our invitation to this Press Conference.

A couple of days ago, the General Secretary of the NDC Johnson Asiedu Nketia addressed a Press Conference ostensibly to respond to the True State of the Nation Address delivered by the Flagbearer of the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo earlier in the week.

1.      Typical of the NDC and Asiedu Nketia, the strategy was to denigrate the Person of Nana Akufo-Addo and to avoid the substance of the issues that he raised.

2.      Mr. Asiedu Nketia also went ahead to argue that Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP failed to put  forward solutions to the problems that have been created by the 8 years of the NDC governance.

Then in a quick U-turn, which was symptomatic of his lack of appreciation of the issues raised, He further claimed that whatever alternatives the proposed were not attainable.

3.      And finally he dabbled in a repetition of President Mahama’s tales and sought to justify some of the President’s false claims with a couple of photographs purporting to show that some abandoned projects were apparently still being worked on.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have called you here today to set the records straight and to expose the lies that Asiedu Nketia sought to tell in that hurriedly raised Press Conference.


DRILL SHIP SAGA

 
The NDC’s claim that Nana Akufo-Addo caused financial loss to the State in the Drill Ship judgment debt case is laughable and betrays the “demonize Nana Akufo-Addo at all costs” strategy of the NDC. As we all know, the Drill Ship-related debt was actually a debt owed by the GNPC to Société Générale, which amounted to 47 million dollars by the time the NPP government under President Kufuor took office. Asiedu Nketia’s misguided and erroneous reference to Nana Akufo-Addo’s alleged incompetence is borne out of the usual ignorance and/or deliberate attempts to mislead the public.

Now, what are the facts of the so-called Drill Ship Saga, which should properly be called the Tsikata/GNPC debt saga? Mr. Tsikata, then Chief Executive of GNPC, against all corporate governance best practices and principles contracted the debt from the French bank, Société Générale, and pledged the Drill Ship “Discoverer 511”, owned by GNPC, as collateral against the debt, without any authority from GNPC’s Board of Directors whatsoever.

When Tsikata and GNPC defaulted, the debt was inherited by the Kufuor Government, and Akufo-Addo, as Attorney-General, after reviewing the facts and merits of the case, chose to settle the matter, with the approval of President Kufuor.

As it turned out, instead of 47 million dollars, Ghana paid 19.5 million dollars after the Drill Ship “Discoverer” was sold for 24 million dollars to defray the settlement. How anyone, who helped save this country nearly 30 million dollars, can be said to have caused financial loss to the State simply boggles the mind. This was a mess created by GNPC under the leadership of Tsatsu Tsikata and the first NDC government and cleared up by Nana Akufo-Addo and the Kufuor government.

This bogus and propaganda allegation, which is founded on the equally bogus propaganda report of the Judgment Debt Commission, should be dismissed by all right-thinking Ghanaians, especially as the Commission conspicuously failed to call Nana Akufo-Addo to testify in the matter, even though Nana Akufo-Addo indicated publicly his willingness to testify, if invited.

 The allegation that there was a settlement between GNPC and Société Générale to pay 14 million dollars has never been proven anywhere and there is no factual support for that illusory claim. Yet this is the reason Asiedu Nketia says that, by settling a debt of 47 million dollars with 19.5 million dollars, financial loss was caused to the State by Nana Akufo-Addo.

This is ridiculous and a vain and patently useless attempt to try to tag Nana Akufo-Addo with incompetence and corruption, something that continues to elude the NDC for all the systematic efforts they put into it. The judge, who failed to invite Nana Akufo-Addo to testify, but who, against all the accepted norms of respectable judicial conduct, proceeded to make these unsubstantiated allegations, was, in the culture of the NDC, duly rewarded with promotion to the Supreme Court.

The facts on the drill ship saga are settled.


THE ECONOMY

The facts on the Economy remain undisputed. Ghana’s Economy is in crises today with all the major pillars of the economy recording negative growth. Yet Asiedu Nketia touts a GDP growth figure, which was recorded in the year 2012 driven by first oil from Kufuor’s 2007 oil find as evidence that they have done well. Even their own promise of an 8% GDP growth p.a., they have failed woefully to meet recording 3.5% according to the IMF from which they get their Policy credibility.

INFLATION

Mr. Asiedu Nketia is holding on to single digit inflation which they recorded in 2010-2011 based on manipulation of the basket of goods for calculation as evidence that this government has managed the economy well. He seems to have forgotten that once the basket of goods for calculating inflation was adjusted today’s true Inflation stands at over 19%!!!!!!!!


INTEREST RATE

Has worsened from 26% per annum to average 33% today

DEFICIT

NPP left a deficit of 6.6 in 2008. President Mahama worsened it to 12% in 2012.

In 2015, the NDC is aiming at 6.6% of GDP, which is the level that the NPP achieved in 2008.


CEDI

The price of the dollar has arisen by about 250% in 7years.


ZONGO DEVELOPMENT

It is interesting that the NDC’s Asiedu Nketiah will attempt to mock such laudable ideas like the Zongo Development Fund, which will be set up to improve conditions and build vitally needed amenities in the Zongos and other Inner Cities. This is coming from a Party that claims to love Zongos so much.

We recall that this was the same way the NDC launched scathing attacks on the proposed Northern Development Authority, led by John Mahama, only to turn around to steal the idea and totally mismanage it and turn it into an avenue for looting scarce resources meant for the development of the North.

Is it not laughable that Asiedu Nketiah and the NDC will today question policies on the establishment of special funds? This is coming from a Party and government that devoted a special fund to rearing Guinea Fowls who as we later found out all migrated to neighboring Burkina Faso.

Asiedu Nketiah claimed that the highest growth rates and longest periods of single digit inflation were achieved under the NDC and asked that Ghanaians be continually grateful to the NDC for such achievements.

But ladies and gentlemen, what is the value of a high growth rate and single digit inflation, years ago when at the end of the day, the reckless management of the Economy and corruption has landed us back at the doorsteps of the IMF for a bailout? What is the value of such achievements when for over 3 years, Economic Growth has stagnated and Manufacturing growth has been in the negative? What is the value of such achievements when as a result of the mismanagement of the economy, resources have become so scarce that the government has resorted to imposing and increasing taxes on every conceivable good and service including condoms, cutlasses, savings etc.?

 What is the value of such achievements years ago when as a result of the incompetence of the current government, Ghanaians have been burdened with a 4 year long Dumsor phenomenon which has led to the needless deaths of hundreds of Ghanaians and destroyed thousands of lives?

What is the value of such achievements when today, as a result of the ditch Ghana finds itself in, the government is desperate to abolish every conceivable allowance and incentive for workers and businesses including Teacher and Nursing Trainee allowances? What is the value of such achievements when Agric, the largest employer of the Ghanaian people is now firmly on a backward track?

Ladies and Gentlemen, this attempt by the NDC to hang on to a high growth rate for a single year, is nothing but yet another classic display of mediocrity and shameless incompetence.

For the records, ladies and gentlemen, the highest non-oil GDP growth rate according to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) till date, was achieved under the NPP in 2008 when the economy saw a 9.1% Growth. The closest the NDC got to this unprecedented non-oil GDP was in 2012 when the non-oil GDP was 8.6% - since then and as a result of the recklessness in that year, economic growth has been on a steady decline.

For the records again, ladies and gentlemen, the 2011 GDP growth rate of some 14% which the NDC likes to cling on, was as a result of the fact that 2011 was the first year of the inclusion of oil proceeds into our kitty and GDP calculations. The non-oil GDP for the year 2011 was 8.2%, far lower than the 9.1% (according to the GSS) the NPP left office with in 2008, when it must be added, the Global Economy was in unprecedented crisis.  We need not remind you that the oil discovery was fully the result of the competence, foresight and commitment of the NPP administration under Former President Kufuor, to finding oil after decades of mismanagement and looting by the NDC through GNPC.

So again, Asiedu Nketiah demonstrated his penchant to lie and the fact that he and his NDC appointees are very bad when it comes to reading and finding information for themselves, when he claimed that the NPP couldn’t match their high GDP Growth Rate. It is not surprising why Ghana is in such a dire state today.

Indeed, what was most ridiculous was the attempt to hand this false credit to John Mahama, even though it was under the Presidency of John Atta Mills, when at the same time, the NDC and Asiedu Nketiah continued claiming falsely that their government had been in power for only 4 years. Indeed, we have noticed with amusement how almost all the projects being claimed by John Mahama today, were either initiated under the NPP administration or under the first 4 years of the NDC administration (2009-2012) but how desperate John Mahama and his NDC try to make these projects look like achievements of the last 4 years.

Asiedu Nketiah amongst others also claimed that John Mahama is committed to transforming the structure of the economy with an emphasis on manufacturing and listed claims of support to the manufacturing sector and private business.

These claims, ladies and gentlemen, are not only funny but an insult to the intelligence of the Ghanaian people and especially those in the manufacturing industry.

Is it not funny to note that manufacturing for the last three years has been growing in the negative at a time when the government and its propagandists are claiming unprecedented commitment to manufacturing? If being committed to manufacturing leads to a negative 2% manufacturing growth as happened in 2015, then one can only shudder to imagine what would have happened if the government wasn’t claiming to be committed to Manufacturing.

Ladies and Gentlemen, what is also clear and without dispute is that despite all the propagandist claims of commitment and support for private business, under no administration have Ghanaian businesses suffered more than under the current incompetent and insensitive John Mahama government.

As we speak, hardworking businessmen and women have closed down their businesses to protest the unprecedented anti-business policies and taxes that have been heaped on the ordinary Ghanaian business. Many of such businessmen have indeed closed their businesses permanently or been bankrupted by the policies of the current government.

Indeed, it was under this government that a Deputy Minister of State remarked that if businesses find taxes too high, they can relocate to Togo and other neighboring countries.

Under this incompetent government and as a result of mainly the four year Dumsor, harsh tax policies and generally unfavorable conditions, hundreds of businesses in the Agricultural, Industry and Services sectors have all collapsed or been forced to relocate to neighboring countries like the Ivory Coast.

Small and medium enterprises like cold stores, barbering shops and salons, eateries and many others have been the biggest losers in the current scheme of doing things, where the government appears to have positioned itself as a rival to business and is doing everything possible to collapse them.

This is certainly not a record one has to be proud about, but the NDC is shameless and will brandish such a record.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the NDC keeps mentioning the Komenda Sugar Factory as one of their achievements. For over 7 years, they have been touting this claim. But ladies and gentlemen, how many of us have seen sugar from the Komenda Sugar Factory before? It will be also interesting to know how many tones of Shea butter the Buipe Shea Factory, which is a private enterprise, has produced since it was established.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Asiedu Nketiah made the weird claim that Rice importation had significantly decreased under the NDC – but this is again, another clear lie. Ghana imported 395,400 tons of Rice in 2008. By 2013, this figure had shot up to 600,000 tones. As to how this is a significant decrease, only Asiedu Nketiah and John Mahama can explain.

 
ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS


It amazes all observers that the NDC will claim that the NPP and Nana Akufo-Addo offered no solutions to the problems highlighted in the True State of the Nation Address.

This claim by Asiedu Nketia and the NDC sharply betrays the incompetence that characterizes everything they do.  Because if ever they pay attention to anything the NPP says they will surely not make such claims when everyone who listened to or read the Address can bear testimony to the more than 13 Policy Alternatives that were outlined by Nana Akufo-Addo.

If alternatively they listened, then they must surely have a problem in comprehending. They must be lacking the competence to understand the text read and published by the NPP.

For the avoidance of doubt, pages 15-17 of Nana Akufo-Addo’s address outlines 16 policy solutions to solve the current challenges that Ghana has been plunged into. Is Mr. Asiedu Nketia and the NDC saying they neither heard of read these options?

But if they didn’t read or hear them, how come then Asiedu Nketia after claiming there were no solutions offered proceeds to further argue that the NPPs proposals smack of throwing money at every problem and that that is unworkable.

Mr. Asiedu Nketia and the NDC have by this double speak on the matter of solutions shown clearly that they are not interested in the substance of the matters raised in Nana Akufo-Addo’s address. Instead they are only seeking to dabble in the same politics of bastardising everything NPP.

Ghanaians however are aware, that the well thought through Policy initiatives which the NPP always puts on the table is what is needed at all times in fighting our ills as a nation. The NDC approach of saying everything by the NPP is unworkable and then quickly shifting to steal, rename and poorly implement these Policies has now been seen through by all and sundry. A few of the 16 include:

As mentioned the 16 Policy Solutions are outlined on pages 15-17 of the NPP statement and can be examined by any interested objective person.


PRESIDENT MAHAMA’S LIES

Since the President’s address on February 25th many Ghanaians have openly challenged lots of the untruthful claims that President Mahama made about projects he had done across the country.

The NDC in his bid to save the President from the embarrassment claimed at his Press Conference that Nana Akufo-Addo had said the Salaga Hospital was non-existent. He then proceeded to show a picture of the uncompleted structure on the site using it as a basis to claim Nana Akufo-Addo lied.

For the Avoidance of doubt permit me to quote Nana Akufo-Addo’s exact words on Page 3 of his Address.  This is what Nana Akufo-Addo said.

“Far from the work progressing on the 60-bed district hospital at Salaga, as the President claimed, those who live in the community describe the site as “fenced, locked and abandoned. Residents of Hohoe have said their town roads were done during the Kufuor administration.”

Ladies and gentlemen of the media, have you yourselves as media houses not confirmed these? Are these words untrue or difficult to understand? Why then the mischief or deliberate distortion of the facts to score Political Points?

Subsequent to Nana Akufo-Addo’s address, indeed more ordinary citizens are coming out daily to challenge the untruthful claims made by the President.

It remains a fact that many of President Mahama’s claims on that day were untruthful and have been exposed not only by Nana Akufo-Addo but by ordinary Ghanaians living in these communities where he claimed these projects existed.


ROADS

Take roads for example, Mr. Asiedu Nketia claims he is unaware that the NPP in its 8 years built over 30,000km of roads with a smaller resource envelope as compared to the NDCs 3,700km with much more resources in the same 8 year period? And similar to his propaganda approach the NDC always takes to things, he invites Ghanaians on en expedition to search for the NPPs missing roads.

For his information the Data on the NPPs 30,000km of Roads is verifiable at the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Ministry of Transport. Data on the NDCs 3700km of roads which the President took over 30 minutes to list for Propaganda effect is also included in his State of the Nation’s Address. Surely Ghanaians know that 30,000km is over 8 times the length of 3700km.

No matter how many times they repeat their lies and show pictures of 3700km of roads, it will not compare to 30,000km of roads.

And if Mr. Mahama described 30,000km as mediocre, then what do you call 3,700km.


SOCIAL INTERVENTIONS

Mr. Asiedu Nketia and President Mahama, banking on their hope that Ghanaians have a short memory quickly highlight a growth in leap beneficiaries as a mark that they have succeeded in delivering a better Ghana.


LEAP was developed as a flagship programme of the National Social Protection Strategy (NSPS) developed by the Kufuor government in 2008, to address the needs of people who are at the bottom end of the extremely poor in the population.

This is the program that the NDC led by their Vice Presidential candidate Mahama opposed and lampooned in 2008 as meaning President Kufuor had failed and was giving handouts to people to placate them. He condemned the pro-poor scheme as evidence of a failed NPP government.

In the June 7, 2008 copy of the Daily Graphic, President John Mahama was reported as saying: “LEAP was a show of a lack of ideas by the NPP government in alleviating poverty.

He stressed that we would use subsidies to alleviate poverty and we will not use handout.”

“The best way to bring people out of poverty is to empower and improve their ability to earn an income. It is when you fail that you dole out direct cash to people”.

“The introduction of LEAP therefore signals a failure on the part of the NPP”

Today he claims an increase in leap beneficiaries as a medal of success and his agents go around the country telling new beneficiaries that this is direct money from President Mahama and that it will be cancelled if they don’t vote for NDC in the upcoming election. It appears the NDC has no shame or principle.

The implementation of LEAP started in 2008. The National Social Protection Strategy developed at the time had a section that dealt fully with the roll out plan of LEAP of five years.

It is important to note that the implementation plan of LEAP programme plan was to reach a total of 164, 370 household by 2012,and representing 20% of people in extreme poor category.

After seven years of implementation, NDC has still not reached this important target. They have only now reached 144,000 households in 2016 and are proud of it.

HEALTH


The General Secretary of the NDC, symptomatic of their propaganda, lies and not detailed to facts and figures made reference to GHANA DEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH SURVEY 2014 but with wrong figures.

The NDC led by Asiedu Nketia said and I quote“According to the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, there has been a drastic decrease in the rate of infant mortality and under-five mortality which were alarmingly-pervasive under the NPP. Under-five mortality has dropped from 111 to 60 per 1,000 live births. Infant mortality also dropped by almost 30% from 64 to 41 per 1,000 live births during the same period.

What is strange is that, they quote from a document and get it wrong. Page 19 of the GDHS report says “….. The infant mortality rate decline from 64 per 1000 for five-year period preceding the 2003 GDHS to 41 per 1000 during the same period prior to the 2014 GDHS. Similarly, the under-five mortality rate decreased from 111 to 60 per 1000 for the five year period preceding the 2003 GDHS to 60 per 1000 during the same period to the 2014 GDHS”.

What this means is that, the under-five mortality rate decreased from 111 to 60 per 1000 live birth and infant mortality drop by from 64 to 41 though true, the figure is for 1998.

The 30% drop in the infant mortality rate is for the period between 2008 to 2014. It is worth mentioning that period between 2003 to 2008 was 21.8% whilst that of 2008 to 2014 is 18.1%.


LIFE EXPECTANCY IN GHANA

The Life expectancy of a population can never change in 3 years. It therefore can never be true that the Mahama administration has changed the Life expectancy of Ghanaians. One of the most effective factors that have been referred to mostly to have influenced Life Expectancy in Ghana is the introduction of NHIS.

 This has improved access to health care. Almost all studies conducted (including NHIS reports) found out that Out Patient utilization has increased whilst IN-PATIENT utilization has dropped. The reason given is that since most people have NHIS they attend hospitals quickly and avoid getting into a bad situation that may require hospital admissions. For the same reason they get well from disease that would otherwise kill them if they had delayed further. Thanks to NHIS.

NHIS COLLAPSING /FAILLING

Asiedu Nketiah and NDC members do not want to accept the fact that the NHIS has failed.


NDC is quick to refer to number of enrolment. It should be noted that NHIS was not set up just to enroll members into the scheme. It is not the National Population Council nor statistical service.

In assessing the performance of any project we consider the objective for which such project or intervention was introduced.

The objective of the NHIS is to remove financial barrier and create financial access to health care to all people living in Ghana (MOH 2002).

To achieve this the NHIS will ensure that members of the Scheme do not pay money at the point of receiving health care and that the NHIS will reimburse healthcare providers.

For the past 5 years the NHIS has been struggling to meet this objective. As of now, the NHIS owes providers as far back as MAY /JUNE 2015.

Members of the Scheme are being required to pay cash at the point of receiving healthcare (cash and carry). How can we say the NHIS is meeting its objective?

Hence let’s accept that the NHIS has failed and almost collapsed.

HOSPITALS UNDER CONSTRUCTION.

Asiedu Nketia said the NDC government is putting up a number of new district and regional hospitals.

Most of these are just those enumerated in their party manifesto but has not been effected whilst the rest are existing hospitals.

For example, Upper East Regional Hospital; the site is yet to be cleared. No new construction is going on as of now. Tamale Teaching hospital is not new, it has been existence for many years.

Ridge hospital as we all know is an old facility and has always been designated as the Greater Accra Regional Hospital. Perhaps because the NDC Government is adding new structures they call it ‘building new regional hospital’ but it is not true.

He claims the total number of hospital beds in Ghana is 11,689 and his government is adding 6000 beds to the figure. This according to Asiedu Nketia will bring up to a total of 28,632 beds! Once again this is not true. Assuming the number of beds they claim they will add is true, when you add 6000 to 11,689 the result is not 28, 632. It will be 17, 689.

 

WATER


Asiedu Nketia is characteristically using unverifiable percentages to becloud the exaggerated figures and half-truths he churns out.

Let me begin by listing projects completed during our term of office:



1.      Cape Coast Water Project

2.      Koforidua Water Project

3.      Tamale Water Project

4.      Ada/Sege Water Project

5.      Winneba Water Project

6.      Kwanyaku Water Project

7.      Barekese Water Project

8.      Weija Plant Expansion

9.      Accra East-West Interconnection

10. Baafikrom/Mankessim Water Project

11. Konongo/Kumawu/Kwahu Water Project

12. Accra Rural Water Project

In addition a number of Small Town Water projects and boreholes were constructed under the CWSA

Turning to their purported 77.5 MGD, note that the biggest project is Kpong with a designed capacity of 40MGD but which is producing only 20MGD because there are no transmission and distribution lines to carry them. That immediately takes off 20 MGD off his figure.

The following are still under construction

1.      3.3MGD Wa Water Project

2.      1.63MGD Nsawam project is currently idle and waiting for the rains

3.      6.58MGD Oda/Akwatia Project is still under construction.

4.      The further expansion of the Winneba Supply and the SekyereHeman Project are still under construction.

5.      Works on the expansion on the Essakyir Water Project is yet to commence

6.      Supposed works on the 52 Small Town Water Projects started under the NPP are still supposedly under construction after having been abandoned for years.

As to whether our interventions listed above constitute only 2% increase in coverage can only come from Nketia's own mathematics
The Kyebi Water plant is no more tenable due to excessive turbidity. The Ghana water Company is treating the water with an unacceptable level
of chemicals unsuitable for human consumption, all for propaganda. This my lastclaim require independent scientific verification since officials
won’t speak to the issue.


CORRUPTION

As this government drowns in its own sea of corrupt scandals that have cost the Tax Payer Hundreds of Millions of Dollars while Family and Friends of President Mahama enjoy, it now seeks to invite Nana Akufo-Addo, a man proven to be incorruptible over the years to join in the list of the corruptly tainted by citing him for improper conduct in the drill ship saga.

President Mahama then releases his Hatchet men like Asiedu Nketia and his communicators to repeat this claim hoping it will stick.

But if indeed you are not just doing political propaganda, why don’t you arrest Nana Addo and prosecute him? After all you control the Police and the Office of the Attorney General. So don’t waste our ears with propaganda when you know you can’t back your claim with facts. It is just hogwash.

To the Contrary, the court Proven and self-admitted NDC apparatchiks who have looted or allowed a looting and sharing of Ghana’s monies like Woyome, SMARTYS, Roland Agambire, Betty MouldIddrisu and the likes are the ones that President Mahama and his henchmen should go after if they want to prove to Ghanaians that they too are incorruptible and committed to the fight against corruption.

 ELECTION 2016

The 2016 General elections are due November which is just months away but several critical issues bordering on the conduct of this crucial election remain unresolved. This state of uncertainty the New Patriotic Party, like many Ghanaians, finds unacceptable and demands immediate attention from the Electoral Commission to forestall any problems as we inch towards the November polls.

Time is of the essence.


VOTER REGISTER

A credible voter register is at the center of credible elections in November. All parties, --the EC, and political parties -- agree that the register is very bloated, in addition to other flaws.

The NPP (and other parties) have petitioned for a new register as the best way of securing a credible register. The NDC, and other parties, have advocated for some auditing process, as adequate to clean up the register.

The EC has indicated its decision in favor of cleaning the register through the current challenge and auditing process already provided in C1 72. The auditing process announced by the EC is a combination of public exhibition to allow public participation in the process, and contracting some consultant to execute some other auditing procedures.

However, a five member panel of experts set up by the EC to collate and advise it on an appropriate auditing process has stated in its report that the measures announced by the EC to clean up the register would not work. The panel stated that relying on the challenge procedure provided by the exhibition of the register is “not a viable option ". The panel reported at page 17 paragraph 7 that "judging by the sheer numbers, the Electoral Commission's proposition to display the register, with political parties, the Electoral
Commission and the citizenry to identify and point out invalid names, is not a viable approach.

Particularly, when the persons who identify these records are expected to expend their time, energy and resources not only to provide the evidence but also to testify before a court of competent jurisdiction."

lt continues on page 18: "The system is not effective in achieving the set goals of eliminating invalid records from the register and must be reconsidered. It is said you cannot do the same things and expect different results."

Regarding the EC's contracting some expert consultant to help audit the register, we do not know which company has been contracted, their terms of reference,methodology etc.

So this crucial matter of securing a credible voters ' register, necessary for credible elections, remains unsettled.

MANUAL REGISTRATION

The EC recently announced that all parties had agreed that manual verification will be acceptable to authenticate voters before voting.
However at the recent IPAC meeting last Friday 19th February, it became clear that there was no such agreement on that position as announced by the EC.
So this crucial issue of voter identification and authentication also remains unsettled.

STEERING COMMITTEE


The EC on Monday 8th February, 2016 announced the setting up of a "steering committee” in the management of the 2016 elections. This decision and announcement had been done on the blind side of stakeholders including the political parties. It turned out that some of the selected members of this steering committee were bona-fide NDC party activists.

At the IPAC meeting on Friday 19th February, the political party representatives complained about the EC's setting up the steering committee on their blind side and sought to know the purpose, functions and terms of reference of the steering committee. The EC expressed regret over their action and indicated they would go "back to the drawing board" on the matter of setting up the steering committee.

This was communicated by all the political parties’ representatives to the anxious public.

Before the nation could heave a sigh of relief, the EC counter announced last Saturday 20th February that the understanding of the political parties at the IPAC meeting and subsequent information put out by them was wrong and that the "steering committee” was still in place.

So who is speaking the truth on this matter, the political parties or the EC?

The Electoral Commission must realize that all Ghanaians want credible and fair elections this year. This is best achieved by involving stakeholders, particularly the political parties, in deliberations leading to major decisions. So that decision taking and implementation will be harmonious.

4.0 CONCLUSION

Ladies and Gentleman it is obvious that this NDC government has failed woefully even in its promises or on building on the Kufuor Legacy.

For the 200 Billion Cedis in loans and taxes and the 8 year patience of Ghanaians, President Mahama and Asiedu Nketia cannot get away with pictures of uncompleted buildings and promises to put money in our pocket if Ghanaians give them 4 more years.

The NPP and its Flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo, with the support of a competent Economic Management team led by Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will reverse the catastrophe that Ghana has been put into in the last 8 years and put our nation back on the track of leading African nations.

No amount of lies by President Mahama, no amount of repetition of the lies by Asiedu Nketia and the Chorus of state sponsored party communicators will erase the pain that the ordinary Ghanaian faces today.

CHANGE IS COMING.

 

VOTE FOR CHANGE

 

THANK YOU.