Changing governments stalls development – Mahama

President John Mahama has warned Ghanaians against continually changing incumbent governments to try new ones saying such a situation stalls development.

Speaking to the electorate at the inauguration of a market square at New Abirem in the Abirem constituency of the Eastern region, Mr Mahama said the project, which started in 1997 during the administration of Mr Jerry John Rawlings stalled for so many years due to regular change of governments.

According to him, had the National Democratic Congress won the 2000 polls instead of the New Patriotic Party, the project would have been continued and completed a long time ago.

Mr Mahama’s comments come just a few days after his arch-rival, Nana Akufo-Addo, flag bearer of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) told party supporters in the Volta Region during his campaign tour that he will not abandon projects started by the Mahama administration should he (Akufo-Addo) win the forthcoming polls.

“One of the tragedies of this nation is the long list of abandoned projects dotted around this country; we (NPP) have committed ourselves to tackling this disgraceful phenomenon through the National Asset Protection Project to ensure the continuity of projects.”

“We, in the NPP, do not see the construction of the road from Asikuma through Peki to Hohoe, no matter what it is christened, as a party political obligation on a ruling party. We see it as part of our national commitment to improve upon the lives of the people.”

He added that “anyone who has been on the roads that I have been on recently, be it Yendi to Saboba, or Asikuma through Peki through to Hohoe or Jasikan or Dambai to Nkwanta, no one who has been on any of these roads or similar ones around this country would even think of abandoning work on them because it was started by a political opponent. That is not the NPP way,” the three-time flag bearer said.