Addressing the economy first. All others will follow by the law of progression.
“Addressing the economy of Ghana is as important as the welfare of the population of the country. We must look from within, take bold actions, stop the reckless borrowings and prove that we are capable of managing our own affairs”
“It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there will be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.” ( Mahatma Gandhi )
Ghana’s political freedom, and democratic dispensation is meaningless unless it is linked up to the total economic freedom of its people. This is the concern of some people who have the impression that the vast economic disparity between those at the top, (the have and have not’s) must be a serious concern to our existence as a country. With the quote above from Mahatma Ghandi, We have to do what is right, even though we may never know what results come from the actions. If we do not do nothing, there will be no results. (An adage)“If you see someone’s beard on fire, it is said that you have to fetch water by your side incase the fire extends to yours”
I have said it over and over again that some of the policies inherited from the colonial masters favored the masters, because, theirs was only to exploit us. The CPP Government under Osagefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah should have changed them, but because he and others were enjoying the same system with their masters, thought it was ok, to continue with whatever was done then. Well if after fifty years, we still can not determine what is wrong within our economic system and change them, then there is something rather wrong with the psyche of our Government leaders.
If the President and everybody in Government today, the Legislature, Judiciary and the Council of State, consider all the privileges they enjoy free on the national economy as a good policy, those of us in the GHANA NATIONAL PARTY, don’t see it that way. A lot have been written and debated about this subject on the print and electronic media, but because the power of decision making is in the almighty hands of the same people that enjoy these callous political system, they have never thought about change.
This system will be changed immediately if the people will vote Ghana National Party in 2008 to form a real Government of change in our history as a Nation. Addressing the economy of the Nation, we will start from withdrawing all privileges enjoyed free under the consolidated fund by all Government officials, and pay them a well deserving taxable salaries just as every other person within the economy is paid and taxed. We have said it in our manifesto that even though we do not have empirical prove, we believe the nation spends over 80million Cedis on top Government officials and view it as gravely irresponsible giving what they themselves claim we are, HIPC. If we are heavily indebted, and continue to borrow for our budgetary allocations, then it is just common sense that we reinvent our economic strategies and save for eventual economic salvation.
Changing this obnoxious and selfish system do not require a constitutional amendment, because salaries at the TOP are fixed by the TOP. It only require a willingness to do what is right for society out of selflessness, period. The amount of money we spend on one Government official under salary and privileges, is about the same salary of the United States Senator or British Secretary of state. 90% of all those in ministerial positions in Ghana, have lived, learned and worked in the western developed world. I presume they all know how the western system of Government works. Nothing is free to Government officials, but they join African Governments and House is free, car is free, with driver and petrol is free, maid servant is free, garden boy is free, telephone is free, water is free, gas is free, electricity is free, watch man is free. At the expense of the mass of the people. What a nonsense? These officials of state, have their private homes rented out in most cases to foreign agencies for hard currencies and be housed free at the expense of the state. GNP consider this system a mockery of justice, and needs to be changed.
Under GNP Government, all ministers, government officials and parliamentarians will be paid real taxable salaries and the era of selfishly hiding behind privileges to amass undeserved wealth will be history. The nation will save trillions of cedis in a matter of two years, which can be used to set up a Mortgage finance Bank to serve as Mortgage credit gate for the working people of Ghana to enable them acquire their own houses under mortgage contracts. The American dream of every worker in the system, is to one day have the opportunity to acquire a mortgage financing, and possess an accommodation that one can call his/her home. We must therefore create avenues for Ghanaian workers to be able to also have a Ghanaian dream.
The elections of 2008 must be centered on issues and new ideas to improve the living conditions of the people of Ghana especially the working class. Voters who are enlightened, and especially students must be seen as ambassadors of change, and educate our illiterate voting population about all the years of deceptions, lies and failed promises. GNP is offering a sincere political platform for change, that will open the way for a better society for today and generations to come. A society where no one who is willing to work hard will wake up in the morning and not knowing what to do or what to eat for lack of opportunities.
We believe that our nation is at war. Not a military campaign against an invading foe, none the less, Economic war. We need to mobilize our citizens to wage a dedicated and selfless economic war that will halt the exploitation of our human and natural resources at the detriment of the nation and people, as well as a cultural war against exploitation of the nation by a few elected leaders who care only for themselves.
At the closing session of a two day workshop organized at Takoradi by the Ghana Intergrity Initiative (GII) and supported by the National commission on Civic Education, the regional director of the NCCE Mr. Kweku Baah Owusu gave a caution that CIVIL REVOLT IS AS DANGEROUS AS COUP. He said politicians currently use money to buy the electorate which to him was very dangerous in a democratic process because the sovereign will of the people and the nation could not be sold to a few people. To this end he advised politicians and the electorate against the buying and selling of votes.
It is time that we change the political system where the sovereign will of the people and the Nation is sold to a few self seeking people because of the level of poverty the few have artificially and deliberately created on the sellers.( the unfortunate poor majority Ghanaians) The years of greed, political corruption, selfishness, and failed promises, have now created a big discontentment in the minds of the people because of the unbearable high cost of living attributable to leadership failures. Civil revolt is dangerous than coup because there is absolutely no control unlike coups which have military personnel stationed at vantage areas to control public looting and protect lives. In order to avert the fears of the western regional director of the National Center for Civic Education, on any possible CIVIL REVOLT, there must be a complete overhaul in the way politics is done in Ghana, and as a matter of priority, wage a selfless economic war that will bring prices of goods and services down and be fair in our national salary structure, considering how much the national Exchequer, can afford paying the President down to the Laborer. If the system continues the way it is, be it under CPP, PNC, NPP or NDC, I am afraid. THE BEST ALTERNATIVE FOR REAL CHANGE IS, GHANA NATIONAL PARTY.
“As long as I live, I will continue to do just what is right for my Country. Whether I will live to see the results is not what is important. What is important to me is that someday, the result will bring hope and opportunities for all Ghanaians. A society where the children of Ghana, poor as they may be, will be judged by the content of their brains, and not because any of their parent is a President , Minister or a Government official.”
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