Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has challenged the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to name just one social intervention program they implemented in their eight year stay in government.
Addressing members of the NPP at the party’s Annual National Delegates Conference in Accra, Dr. Bawumia said the NDC, priding itself as a social democratic party, has the abysmal record of not implementing a single social intervention project in their eight years in government between 2009 and 2016, and dared them again to name just one.
In contrast, Dr. Bawumia said the NPP is noted for its social intervention policies, and that the current government, led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo, has implemented many social intervention programs to alleviate the suffering of Ghanaians.
“I have challenged the NDC they should give us one; “baako p3” in their 8 years in government, the one social intervention they implemented to reduce the suffering of our people. They cannot, and they have not been able to but they are supposed to be the social Democratic Party.”
The Vice President said following the rejection of President Mahama and the NDC, the NPP came to power on the back of three main points to; stabilize the economy, reduce the suffering of the people, and transform the economy into a modern, prosperous economy.
“This was our contract with the people of Ghana and ladies gentlemen, what a difference three years of good, effective leadership can make in a country.”
The Vice President told the gathering that in three years, the government of President Akufo-Addo has either completely delivered on a promise, or is delivering, and listed several of them under each thematic area to buttress his point.
“So many of our people were suffering across the country and we said we would reduce that suffering.
Thanks to the leadership of Nana Akufo-Addo, we are reducing that suffering.”
“How are we reducing that suffering? The first thing we do is to create an economy that can create jobs and sustain jobs. In the public sector alone, we have recruited 350,000 people and we are paying them. That is money in their pockets and that is reducing the suffering;” the Vice President said.
“Teacher trainees were suffering. We have given them teacher trainee allowance. Nursing trainees were suffering, we have given them nursing trainee allowance.
“Today, dumsor is not in our lexicon anymore and we have reduced that suffering. Today our government is the first government in the whole of the 4th Republic to reduce electricity prices.
First government on net terms when you look at where we were when we came in and electricity prices per kilowatts. Today, we are about 10% lower than when we came in on average.”
“We have reduced import duties and we have reduced the suffering of many importers in bringing in goods by reducing import duties by 50% and automated the process of clearing goods from the ports and reduced the suffering of our importers. Even the taxes on Kayaye has been abolished and we have reduced their suffering as a result.”
“We have reduced the suffering of a lot of parents by doubling the capitation grant . We are absorbing the WASSCE registration fees and absorbing the fees for post graduate medical training and we have also restored research allowances to our people. We are employing more disable people for our toll booths; 50% of our toll booths are manned by disable people.”
The Vice President also listed the automated system of acquiring passport and drivers license, as well as easy access to assess NHIS registration through mobile money, as some of the steps the government has taken to lessen the suffering of the people.
“It was difficult to apply for a passport because you had to deal with ‘goro’ boys.
Today we have automated the process and it is no longer difficult to apply for a passport. We have reduced their suffering.
“Getting a driver’s license, we have digitized the process and it is no longer difficult; no suffering involved to get a driver’s license. To renew your NHIS membership, there is no suffering. You can sit at home, put it in your mobile money phone and you have it. There is no suffering involved.”
The Vice President noted that the government is not claiming to have eliminated suffering, but he was unequivocal that the Government of Nana Akufo-Addo has kept its promise and reduce the suffering of the people.
“We haven’t eliminated suffering but we will still continue to do more.
We haven’t eliminated it but we can say that under the leadership of Nana Addo , we have kept our promises and implemented policies to reduce the suffering of our people.”
