CPP is all inclusive, people centred - Greenstreet
The Convention People’s Party (CPP) has touted itself as the only political party in the country that is all inclusive and people-centred.
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The party is the only political party in the country to have developed the braille, sign language and audio versions of its manifesto.
It said for the first time, people with visual and hearing impairment had the opportunity to follow the political landscape and particularly what the party had in its manifesto.
Front-runner
The flag bearer of the CPP, Mr Ivor Kobena Greenstreet, in an interview, said, “The CPP has always been the front-runner in Ghanaian politics.
“We brought political independence to the country, the first to introduce the braille version of our manifesto in 2008 and has since continued, the first to introduce the sign language and audio versions of our manifesto for the 2016 election”, he explained.
All-inclusive manifesto
Mr Greenstreet said the CPP manifesto was a “people-interactive manifesto”, explaining that the party did not develop the manifesto from the comfort of its offices, but travelled round the country to get the views of the people on pertinent issues affecting them so that they could be factored into the manifesto.
“We moved from region to region, constituency to constituency and district to district to seek the views of the people on issues that bothered them so that we could factor them into our manifesto,” he explained.
Hearing impaired
He said it was during that process that the issue of persons with disabilities and their access to the political discourse emerged.
Mr Greenstreet said it was realised that there was the need to ensure that those with hearing impairment also had access to the manifesto.
He said the decision fell within the remit of social justice, one of the three pillars of the party, “and so we are happy to carry out what we believe is the foundation core of the party.”
Mr Greenstreet said the party’s position under social justice showed the commitment of the party to ensure that there was equal justice.
He said more than 10 years after the Disability Act was passed, there were key public buildings such as the ministries, district assemblies, banks, hospitals and police stations which were still not accessible to persons with disabilities (PWDs).
He further explained that it was not only with buildings, but also access to services such as what was rendered at the police station and hospital, saying that by now, there should be at least one person who understood sign language at every hospital to enable those with hearing impairment access the services there.