Is NDC indeed taking Voltarians for granted?

Of course, there is nothing wrong for political parties to have party precincts or strongholds as such praxes are acceptable in even most advanced democracies.

However, unlike the voters in developing countries, the vast majority of voters in the developed countries do not vote for voting sake. In other words, voters in the advanced democracies mostly vote on the issues that affect their lives.

It was against such backdrop that the vast majority of the UK Labour Party supporters in Scotland voted against their party in the 2015 general elections for failing to live up to their expectations.

We should, however, not lose sight of the fact that election is supposed to be a social contract that exists between a party/candidate and a voter. In essence, the party/candidate solicits for votes from potential voters in exchange of provision of relevant human needs.

It must be noted that our contemporary authority or government came into being as a result of the emergence of social contract. It is based on such agreement that the various parties choose to enter into contract with Ghanaians during general elections.

If you may recall, during the 2008 and 2012 general elections, the NDC apparatchiks beseeched electorates to give them the mandate and in return, they guaranteed everyone protection of life, property, provision of social infrastructure and amenities, better socio-economic standards of living and to a certain extent liberty.

Prior to the 2008 and 2012 general elections, the NDC leadership gave a slew of Manifesto promises, including one-time NHIS premium, free SHS, ‘making dumsor a thing of the past, putting money in Ghanaians pocket, creating more jobs for the jobless, stabilising the economy, protecting Ghanaians from the menaces of galamsey and Fulani herdsmen, bringing an end to dubious judgement debt payments, fighting the rampant sleazes and corruption, amongst others.

I must, however, stress poignantly that we choose to exercise our democratic rights during general elections in anticipation that our lives would be transformed positively. But the all-important question is: did our lives transform positively under the NDC government?

No, the vast majority of Ghanaians became worst off in terms of the socio-economic standards of living under the NDC administration as compared to the NPP administration.

In effect, the NDC disappointed the vast majority of Ghanaians, including the voters from the NDC’s ‘World Bank’-Volta Region.

It was, therefore, not surprising that some noble Chiefs from Volta Region were heard complaining bitterly about the harsh economic conditions the previous NDC government wilfully imposed on innocent Ghanaians, including their subordinates.

Thus, it is disheartening to keep listening to the NDC apparatchiks insisting that the people of Volta Region are ever content with their lives under NDC governments and therefore cannot see why Voltarians would turn their backs on the NDC.

To be quite honest, I find it really difficult to believe why the NDC apparatchiks always find it so expedient to take the good people of Volta Region for granted.

Ironically, with all their promises, the previous NDC administration failed to end the dumsor, jobs weren’t readily available for the jobless, the economy sunk deeper and deeper into the mire, Ghanaians became poorer and poorer, sleazes and corruption escalated to immeasurable proportions, meaningless borrowings , amongst others.

To his credit, although the late President Mills’s tenure ended abruptly, he pragmatically started an all-important university in the NDC’s stronghold-the Volta Region. That was laudable, so to speak.

It was also extremely admirable when former President Kufuor erected the Keta Sea Defence to ensure that the people of the Volta Region are safe from ‘Tsunami’ or seismic sea waves. It was indeed a well-thought through project, I must admit.

In fact, the vast majority of Ghanaians, including the good people from the NDC’s stronghold (the Volta Region) have benefited immensely and still benefiting from the successive NPP governments pragmatic introduction of social interventions like the Free SHS, the Free Maternal Care, the School Feeding Programme, the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Mass Transport System, the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), the National Youth Employment Programme, now known as GYEDA, amongst others.

My dearest reader, would you be sincere enough and name just a single social intervention that has been implemented by the NDC that prides itself as social democrat?