2016 NDC manifesto work in progress. President assures critics
President John Dramani Mahama has stated that the 2016 manifesto of his party is work in progress.
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He, therefore, indicated that it was pointless for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to accuse the NDC of stealing their ideas.
Last Monday night, the President presented highlights of the NDC Manifesto, which he said "contains policies and programmes that will consolidate the achievements so far chalked up and in addition, introduce new initiatives that will launch Ghana into a new era of accelerated growth and the transformation of our country.”
In a swift response, the NPP, through its Communications Director, Nana Akomea, accused the NDC of copying their ideas.
But speaking at an NDC rally at the Weija-Gbawe and Okai Koi constituencies last Wednesday evening as part of his three-day campaign tour of the Greater Accra Region, the President questioned the basis for the NPP’s accusation.
"Ours (NDC manifesto) is what we are doing because we are in government so it is not necessary to copy anybody," he said, adding that the NPP could continue to hide their manifesto as that was their own matter.
"And with the manifesto that I presented to the people of Ghana yesterday, and we are going to Sunyani on Saturday to unveil that manifesto, the implementation of that document will make Ghana the model country for the whole of Africa,” President Mahama further said.
Confronting challenges
Taking note of the challenges that his government faced, the President said the government proved equal to the challenges.
"In the four years, we were faced with many challenges but instead of turning our backs we have confronted the challenges head-on and we have resolved them one by one,’’ the President stressed.
If there is any government in history that has faced more challenges than this government, I cannot name any.
"We had market fires, mysterious fires were burning in markets, we had the power crisis; lights were off all the time, and so they named me Mr Dumsor. We had strikes all the time, but I said that my God is able and the God who put me in this position, will see me through all these challenges. And God has not failed me.
We have walked through all those challenges," President Mahama told the cheering party supporters.
On the power crisis, he said he made a promise not to play the blame game.
"I will not say the power crisis was due to the previous government. It has come to meet me as President of Ghana so I said I am going to fix it and I have spent time and energy on the power crisis and I can say that today, Ghana has stable power," the President stated.
President Mahama further mentioned the economy, which he said was in crisis. “It was said that the Cedi was the worst performing currency in West Africa. Today in West Africa, if you take away the Franc, the cedi is the most stable currency."
NDC deserves second term
Emphasising his belief in God, the President said God had been faithful to Ghana "and we thank him and I believe he is going to see us through. There will be no confusion in the election."
He said it was only God who decided to give man power and so if he decided not to "give you power, no matter what you do, you won't get the power."
"When God gave the NDC power in 2012, the NPP said they would not agree to that. And I believe that with the work that we have done, we deserve the second term to continue with that good work," he said.
He expressed confidence that the Weija-Gbawe constituency would fall to the NDC in this year's elections. He introduced the NDC parliamentary aspirant for the Constituency, Ms Obuobia Darko-Opoku, to the party supporters and urged them to vote for her.
