NDC out with 'Moment of Truth Series'
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has introduced a new press briefing series dubbed, "Moment of Truth" during which the party intends to focus on what it terms, "Exposing the failed promises of the Akufo-Addo - Bawumia government."
The maiden edition of the briefing series, which is similar to the "Setting the Records Straight" edition, which used to be organised by Fifi Kwetey, whilst the NDC was in opposition between 2001 and 2009, was addressed by Mr Sammy Gyamfi, National Communications Officer of the NDC on Wednesday morning.
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Below is a copy of Sammy Gyamfi's address Wednesday morning
MOMENT OF TRUTH (MOT) SERIES [MAIDEN EDITION]
EXPOSING THE FAILED PROMISES OF THE AKUFFO ADDO-BAWUMIA GOVERNMENT
Good morning distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the press. On behalf of the National Democratic Congress, I welcome you all to the maiden edition of our press series christened “Moment of Truth”, which will mostly focus on the performance of the Akufo-Addo-led government. On behalf of the NDC, I wish to thank you for honouring this invitation at a very short notice.
Indeed, this is a display of your unwavering commitment and dedication to nation-building and the democracy we are all nurturing.
Friends from the media, our gathering here this morning has been occasioned by claims by the Vice President, Dr. Bawumia that the government of His Excellency President Akufo-Addo has delivered on many of the promises they made to the Ghanaian people.
A news story published by citinewsroom.com on 10th
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Ladies and gentlemen of the press, President Akufo-Addo himself has not hesitated on several recent occasions, to speak of how his government remains on track to deliver on its mandate.
It would appear to us that the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government is still oblivious of what the times are in Ghana.
The President and his Vice, who are busily enjoying the largess of power, have lost touch with the reality of dire economic straits that their
Today, the Ghanaian people are seeking answers, and the harder they seek, the more the President and his Vice continue to beat their own drum and dance to the tune.
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However, while the President and his Vice are busy at what they do best, which is to employ the worst kind of sophistry and guile to explain away their failure, we in the NDC will not sit aloof and watch them throw dust into the eyes of the Ghanaian people.
Ladies and gentlemen, indeed the Moment of Truth (MOT) has arrived and we shall through this initiative, expose the veritable temple of broken promises and deceptions of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia Government.
Obviously, the NPP government must be living in their own world.
A world far removed from the Real World of the suffering people of Ghana.
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In their delusion, they claim to have delivered on many of their promises. Obviously they have! Let's clap for Bawumia and his boss for the so-called delivery they have made in respect of their gratuitous election promises.
Oh Yes, they have delivered on their promises;
* They have delivered on their promise to pay all contractors within the first 100 days of their administration, such that today, GETFUND contractors are threatening demonstrations and closures of the schools they built.
* Indeed, they have for the past two years delivered $1million to each of the 275 Constituencies in Ghana, such that today, all 275 Constituencies have received $2 million each, for the construction of KVIP toilets.
* Yes, they have delivered on their promise to provide a congenial atmosphere for the growth of the financial sector, by supervising the contraction of the sector from a positive growth of 22.3% (as at last quarter of 2016) to a negative growth of 13.1%.
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* Again, they have delivered on their promise of a lean government by appointing 111 Ministers and employing over 1,600 persons at the Office of Government Machinery.
* Indeed, they have delivered, such that in 2018, out of a total of GHS636 million allocated to the Ministry of Trade as stimulus package for industries, only an insignificant GHS1 million has been disbursed with the year almost about the end.
* They have delivered on the promise of One Village, One Dam by providing a handful of dug-outs and excavated ponds. 419 deliveries is their speciality.
* Yes, they have delivered on their promise not to borrow by accumulating almost half the total debt of Ghana from independence to date (50 billion Ghana Cedis), in less than two years, with very little to show on the ground.
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* Yes, they have delivered on their promise to move Ghana from taxation to production by increasing VAT by 5% under the guise of VAT conversion; and introducing new taxes like luxury Vehicle tax etc.
* They have delivered on their promise to stabilize the Exchange Rate so well that, the Ghana Cedi is currently struggling against all major foreign currencies.
Today, the NPP’s
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Due to his manifest impotence and cluelessness, he has chickened out from economics and is now seeking refuge in technology (GhanaPost GPS and Drone technology).
* They have delivered on their promise to build One Factory in every District by appropriating existing private businesses some of which have been in existence for over 10 years as their 1D1F projects.
A phenomenon that is so ridiculous that the joke in town today is that very soon, even Guinness Ghana Limited, Coca Cola, GIHOC Distilleries and may be the Accra Mall will be commissioned as 1D1F projects.
* Yes, they have delivered on their promise to reduce Corporate tax from 25% to 20% such that today, Rural Banks are happy about the "crippling effect" of the 25% Coporate tax they have been paying over the last twenty four months.
* Yes they have, through their stellar performance, delivered on their promise to create sustainable jobs by causing the collapse of several businesses leading to thousands of job losses.
* Most importantly, they have delivered their free SHS promise with a half-baked and haphazardly- implemented policy that has reintroduced shift system in our Senior High Schools much to the chagrin of parents and students.
Indeed, they have enhanced access to secondary education by completing all the Mahama Community Day SHS and building their promised 350 additional ones such that today, our students sleep on bare floors and sit on stones to be tutored.
* Ladies and gentlemen of the Press, they have also delivered their promise to spare parts dealers and other importers by increasing import duties and charges astronomically, thereby suffocating their businesses.
They have truly delivered massive weeping and wailing in Abossey Okai, Makola and among other importers.
* They have delivered on the promise to fight corruption by setting up an Office of Special Prosecutor whose office has been starved of needed funding and logistics, thereby making him helpless and hapless.
In fact, they have delivered by redefining corruption and turning the Presidency into a clearing-house for whitewashing corrupt government officials as we saw in the BOST-gate, Cash for Seats and the Australian Visa Fraud scandals.
Indeed, they have delivered in paying lip service to the fight against corruption.
* Yes, they have fulfilled their promise to protect the public purse by spending a whooping GHS10 million on the fraudulent and useless GhanaPost GPS app.
* They have delivered on their promise to support the cocoa sector by selling "Not for Sale” fertilizers to our cocoa farmers.
We also know how they have deliberately refused to increase the producer price of cocoa for two consecutive years, whilst spending lavishly on administrative expenses at the Headquarters of Cocobod.
Indeed, they have demonstrated their love for our farmers by halting all cocoa road projects commenced by the Mahama
* Whereas his predecessor allocated about GHS1.8 billion to the Office of Government Machinery in four years, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government has delivered on their promise of cutting down expenditure at the Presidency, by allocating a whooping GHS3.4 billion to the same outfit in only two years.
* They claim to be delivering in agriculture. They really must be delivering- no wonder that under their watch, they have increased annual rice importation from about $450 million (as at December 2016) to over $1 billion currently.
Indeed, they have delivered in agriculture by supervising a 7.2% decline in Ghana's national cocoa output.
* They promised massive development in the districts. We need to clap for their massive delivery seeing how they have brought development in the Districts to a halt by virtually strangulating the District Assembly Common Fund.
Today, very little money is available for the MMDAs to pursue any serious development.
* Yes we know that they have delivered on the promise not to run a family and friends government by practicing nepotism on an unparalleled scale, thereby becoming the most nepotistic government ever in the history of Ghana.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
* Don't you agree that the NPP government has delivered on higher productivity by putting seven (7) Ministers in charge of the Transport Sector which was hitherto managed by just two (2) Ministers of State under the erstwhile Mahama Administration.
* Certainly, they have fulfilled their promise to improve the livelihoods of Taxi and Trotro drivers by increasing the price of fuel from about GHS14.00 per gallon to GHS23.00 in only two years.
* Of course one of the greatest areas of their delivery is the domain of protecting the public purse. Have we so soon forgotten how they protected the public purse by approving a whooping GHS800,000 for a mere website development?
Ladies and Gentlemen,
* Have they not truly delivered by expanding rural electrification by only 1% in 2 years? Two long years- yet all they have to show is an insignificant 1%.
* They claim to have delivered right? Obviously, they have delivered by reducing capital expenditure as a percentage of GDP from 4.5% in 2016, down to about half of that in 2018.
The same group that in opposition kept making noise about how 4.5 percent GDP growth was too low.
* Yes, they have delivered in the health sector, that is why neonatal mortality has increased exponentially from 3.8/1000 live births to 8.4/1000 live births.
* Yes we know that this government has made a historic achievement by approving an outrageous and ridiculously-bloated amount of $400,000 for photography under the dubious Sinohydro deal. We need to clap for them for this unbelievable delivery.
* Without doubt, the NPP government has delivered on its promise to fisher folks by promoting the constant diversion of premix fuel by NPP functionaries.
* Do we all recall the promise by Dr Bawumia that every Ghanaian will have a bank account by the close of 2018? We need to applaud them since every Ghanaian has a bank account today. Our friends from the NPP are just incredible when it comes to sounding sweet rhetorics and making empty promises.
* How many of you remember their great promise of making Accra the cleanest city in Africa?
After appointing a whole Sanitation Minister who has delivered nothing but rather supervised the phenomenal increase of filth in the last two years, should we not applaud Nana Addo for delivering another great promise?
Ladies and gentlemen, we are not surprised that the NPP continues to delude themselves that they have delivered.
We recall vividly their last time in government, and how amidst singing and dancing, they "delivered" on the promise of turning all slums in Ghana into modern apartments with modern facilities, the promise to build railway lines from Accra through Paga to Burkina Faso, the promise of zero tolerance for corruption that saw the Presidency become a kickback collection center, the promise of a golden age of business which saw the collapse of virtually all productive sectors such as local fishing, local poultry, local textile, local rice production, among others.
Just as they deluded themselves in the past, they believe in their minds today that they have delivered on their promise to transform Ghana within 18 months. NPP will never cease to disappoint.
Friends from the media, it is clear from the above-enumerated points which are but a few of the many failed promises of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government, that the NPP has totally lost touch with the suffering masses and is certainly not attuned to the excruciating economic realities in our country today.
The reality however is that, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government has so far been a monumental failure. Having betrayed the trust of the Ghanaian people, they have again resorted to lies in a desperate attempt to save their fast sinking image.
Friends from the media, the NPP have, and will always have a DNA of lies, double talk and hypocrisy.
However, no pillar built on lies can stand the test of truth.
Through the Moment of Truth (MOT) series, we shall continuously expose the grand deceptions and abysmal performance of this impotent, inept, nepotistic and dishonest government.
We know without a shudder of doubt that, this temple built of wicked lies will surely come crumbling in the fullness of time.
Long live Ghana! Long live the NDC!! Thank you for coming.
Signed.
SAMMY GYAMFI
NATIONAL COMMUNICATION OFFICER, NDC.
Writer's email: enoch.frimpong@graphic.com.gh