54 Years On-Ghana Really Deserves Better

The NPP UK and Ireland salutes Ghanaians on occasion the 54th year of our independence but for us and majority of Ghanaians instead of popping champagne and making merry it is a moment for deep reflection and thought .54 Years on we ask ourselves, what kind of leadership are we seeing in Ghana Today? It is really sad that some politicians in the current government including their sycophants in the UK and elsewhere are patting themselves on the back. Meanwhile our current President ironically a former teacher, cannot pay our teachers, who impart knowledge to our children to become leaders of tomorrow decent wages. He expects Ghanaians to come and sit in the hot sun and watch him recieve 21 gun salutes. How can we celebrate when we have high transport costs, high food prices, high petroleum prices and amassing of wealth by NDC government Ministers and their senior party officials?

President Mills, promised Ghanaians that he would sustain democratic governance , uphold the rule of law, end the culture of impunity and indiscipline of youths rampaging throughout the country.

He also promised to abide by the sanctity of the constitution.

54 Years On -A state of anarchy under Mills

The situation in Ghana today however paints a different picture. Since he made this promise, Journalists have been arrested and harassed for criticizing the government, elements of the ruling party and their sycophants in the press are threatening members of the judiciary, members of his party especially the youth are still seizing public toilets and offices and driving out officials of National Health Insurance Scheme offices. The latest institutions to be attacked are the District and Municipal Chief Executives. We have seen violent attacks on district and municipal chief executives inWenchi, Wa, Yendi, Tamale ,Sankore and Effiduase and some sustaining injuries and in the case of Yendi the district chief executive had to flee for his life as he was nearly murdered, attacks and assassination attempts on some opposition MPs

54 Years On- Skyrocketing Youth Unemployment under Mills

Currently the state of Youth Enemployment is so alarming that we are sitting on a timebomb. By June, 2011 285,000 graduates have no access to a job.,47,300 have been sacked from the National Youth Employment Scheme. Akua Dansua former Minister for Youth and Sports made an astonishing statement that the National Youth Employment Scheme will no longer focus on employment. Serial Liar Okudzeto Ablakwa, whose magical 1.5 million employment figures were disputed by his own colleague E.T. Mensah, Minister of Employment when he did not know about these figures The fallacy of theNational Youth Policy, a failed document fails totally to address and implement an action plan to reduce youth employment by soliciting partnership with the private sector to support skills training and mentoring.

54 Years On- Rampant Corruption under Mills

Tema Oil refinery is shut down deliberately for weeks, so oil marketing companies owned by NDC members and some members of the board of GNPC can import crude oil and sell back to the public , make a profit and trouser the money to their pockets. So far there have been four gas shortages in Ghana this year alone!!! We have suggested the government consider investing in building 2 major Gas plants to compliment the West African Gas pipeline but they don’t care. They are interested in spending 1.6 Billion cedis on pampers and buying tickets to come to school in London every week at huge cost to the state. The government is resorting to Hedging our oil with no idea of what the future price of oil would be. We have not forgotten the debacle of Ashanti Goldfields which nearly collapsed when Gold was hedged at the London stock exchange by this same NDC government in the 90s .Shares of Anglogold our sold without the knowledge of parliament,Government Ministers such as Samuel Ofosu Ampofo,Ama Benyiwa Doe,Johnson Aseidu Nketia and Hannah Bissiw have collectively spent 10 million dollars in 2 years building mansions for themselvesaround the country, all with the blessing and support of the President and born again Christian John Atta Mills!

54 Years On-A President who has lost his Way

The State of anarchy in Ghana can be blamed on one man and that is the President Atta Mills who is running a Mafioso style regime that supports corruption, lack of accountability and indiscipline. He has abdicated his responsibilities to protect all Ghanaians irrespective of grouping, party affiliation and creed. He has allowed the rule of law to collapse, division and tribalis to fester, legitimised corruption, the constitution to be subverted, our petroleum industry to be hijacked by cronies and our people to be enduring high utility bills. He has stood by while our fishermen struggle, our children abused at children’s homes officials go scot free, our traders go bankrupt, our teachers become dislillusioned, our civil servants rebel, our banks and businesses struggle to compete and maintain productivity . Today, instead of building structures to create our own capital markets and market economy and wean ourselves off this vicious cyle of begging, Mr Mills is telling us getting loans from donors is an achievement. Mr Mills is telling us rationing water is an achievement. The government of Ghana under his leadership has lost its way.

WE QUESTION HIS JUDGEMENT,HIS ATTITUDE,HIS HUNGER TO BUILD AND BRING PROGRESS TO OUR COUNTRY. It is interesting that some of his own party members are questioning and may challenge his leadership.

Let us all ponder with the words of Dr Sekou Nkrumah a leading member of the NDC and former National Youth Co-ordinator, who we may disagree with on a lot of things but agree with him when he says. “Professor Mills is not the leader we are looking for”.”Ghana can do better with another leader”

Professor Mills must search his conscience and accept that he mentally cannot cope with the demands and expectations of our people .

This music has played long enough and it is time to change the record

Ghana country really deserves better and a change of leadership is needed to move our country forward.

Nana Yaw Sarpong-07983302369

Communications Officer-NPP UK and Ireland