Opinions of Tuesday, 8 September 2020

Columnist: Michael Sumaila Nlasia

The Peoples Manifest

Yesterday marked the launch of the much-awaited Peoples Manifesto of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The leadership of the Party, the Manifesto Committee and all those who worked behind the scenes to bring to manifestation this extraordinary development policy, by way of the manifesto, deserve our congratulations and commendations.

The current disappointment of Ghanaians in the New Patriotic Party government: with the countless scoundrel of scandals such as Agyapa Royalty and PDS, the failure and collapse of businesses, the massive loss of jobs, the rapid depreciation of the cedi against the major foreign currencies and the crackdown of our national security presented the need to articulate a very comprehensive program to the Ghanaian electorates on how these problems will be solved.

This task caused the Party to set up the Manifesto Committee. The terms of reference of the Committee was structured on a bottom-up approach.

In other words, many of our Party supporters and sympathisers in the constituencies and branches and diverse sources of opinions of the Ghanaian population have some very interesting ideas to many of the issues coming out. They helped by harnessing their knowledge into furnishing the manifesto.

After all, a manifesto must speak to the aspirations of the people, and who better than the rank and file to articulate their ideas to the issues at hand? This is essential because when you go out to talk to the farmers, the fisher folks, nurses, doctors and all and sundry directly, you learn a lot.

And the suggestions they made were found tuned into the manifesto for the electorates to advance our center-left social democratic principle.More so, it shows the humility and the renewal of the leadership of the NDC.

The furore of Gabby Otchere Darko and the NPP that NDC lacks ideas or is not a better alternative has been rendered obsolete and superfluous; as it has rather sensed shivers to their spine knowing very well that the consultation led to clearer and a better understanding of the problems on the ground which the NPP does not want to appreciate as it is what has brought about this winning manifesto.

It is good that the NDC has shown that it is not an alternative by the mere fact that it is in opposition, but has demonstrated it has what it takes to manage and lead this country. It is rare to have a manifesto that reflects the will of the people.

That is why the NPP with its right-wing orientation latches heavily on center-left wing policies and uses semantics as social intervention programmes. But this only shows its bankruptcy in ideas, because it is infamous for its belief in unbridled capitalism and state capturing.

An example in the manifesto is the Youth Development Ministry to be established by the NDC.

This is a dream come true for the teeming Ghanaian youth who, for some reasons or the other, are having their talents frozen by populist ideas which have no potential for growth. A special honour goes to the youth leaders of the Party for spearheading such a remarkable social intervention policy.

The freak of power that made NPP win the 2016 general election has brought unto them contradictions demonstrating in the monumental failure of this government.

Overall this manifesto represents the felt needs of the people and the direction they ought to take for a better future. We must fully accept it to bring to birth a new and a prosperous Ghana.

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Anatomy of the People's Manifesto: Out of box solutions to Ghana's problem - GhanaWeb