NDC Should Never Gloat Over Confusion In NPP

By Margaret Jackson

October 6, 2015

Fifteen months to an election-time is a very long time. Indeed, it is long enough to warn the NDC family that it is too soon for them to start waving their victory white handkerchiefs. In politics, just two weeks to an election time could spell doom for the complacent.

Therefore, smart politicians do not wave their victory flags until they complete the campaign homestretch and with eagle eyes see to it that the last ballot is cast at the polling station and counting of votes begin.

Every little kid on the block knows that all is not well within the NPP. The raging fire in the NPP continues with each week producing new surprises and antics from the highly disorganized NPP folks. Even though Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, NPP’s flagbearer for the 2016 presidential election continues to be in a denial mode, and assumes that come election time all NPP folks could be whipped into line to vote for him, staunch NPP supporters are fuming with anger and shaking their heads in disbelief.

The troubles in the NPP will not abate any time soon and may well follow them to election time, but the NDC family should never bank their hopes on this implosion in the NPP. The NDC has more work to do. In fact, the NDC have more work to do than the NPP.

President John Mahama made many campaign promises during the run up to the 2012 presidential election. The promises range from the construction of schools, provision of water, electricity, hospitals, clinics, to the improvement of the economy to make life bearable for the ordinary Ghanaian. But President Mahama hardly settled down in office before he was besieged with multiple problems, which threw him off balance.

Chiefly among the problems that hit Ghana was the power crisis, which affected Ghana so much, so that some areas had to go without power for several days. Now the power crisis is ceding and it is the hope of many that it would be solved permanently by the end of this year.

Ghana also had issues with the volatility of its cedi against other foreign currencies. The naysayers and doomsday prophets even predicted that one dollar would exchange for ten cedis by the end of 2015. Prices of gold, cocoa, and other export commodities also tumbled throwing off government budget estimates.

This year has simply been a difficult year with the global economy taking a big hit, which has seen some economies tumbling with others restating their economic forecasts several times. But in spite of the global economy downturn, which has slowed down the execution of some laudable projects being undertaken by President Mahama, he has not wavered.

His signature is seen everywhere adding up to the discomfort of the NPP. The beautiful Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange project, which the NPP branded as a waste of national resources and a misplaced priority is coming up very well. The Kasoa overpass has started. The expansion of the Police and Ridge Hospitals are on course.

Can you believe that Nana Akufo-Addo used the recently commissioned Sawla-Fufulso road during his so-called “Rise and Build” tour in the north, yet he continues to claim that he has seen nothing good about Mahama’s government? The Eastern corridor roads project, which links the north to the southern part of Ghana, is still on going.

Residents of the East, West, and North Legons, Adenta, Madina, Haatso, and other suburbs who have not experienced the flow of water from their taps for well over 15 years saw their taps flowing for the first time a year ago. The taps have since not stopped flowing.

Tamale would soon have their international airport completed, in order to make life easy especially for those who make the annual Hajj. What is more, apart from cutting down the flight time from Ghana to Saudi Arabia by more than one hour, the completion of the Tamale International Airport would also eliminate the hustle pilgrims go through by making the long journey mostly from the north to Accra to catch their flights.

Good feeder roads to help the carting of cocoa from the producing areas to the buying centres are dotting all over, with last month’s sod cutting to commence the construction of an 8-kilometer road within the Sewfi-Asawinso District of the Western Region by President Mahama.

There are many more on-going projects, which I will outline in other write-ups, but what I want to drive home is that the NDC currently has the biggest task to ensure that President Mahama carries through all the projects he has started. Aside that, all political appointees of the government must work to ensure that President Mahama succeeds.

I am personally not happy with the many strike actions that continue to hit the government. Any time we see workers going on strike it becomes an embarrassment to the government. Why cannot those charged with engaging workers or labour leaders in these agitations for better salaries and allowances strike accords before workers lay down their tools.

Do we always have to see workers on strike before we rush to resolve issues? I believe we have to be very proactive. Apart from this, all NDC family members must work very hard to ensure victory in 2016. They must never put their hopes on the implosion in the NPP and count on it. The confusion in the NPP is just a bonus, but nothing more. Therefore, the NDC people should not let this become so much as an attraction as to throw them off gear.

God forbid, if President Mahama goes down in 2016, he will not go down alone. He goes with all his appointees. He even goes with foot soldiers. Therefore, if any NDC member has something good to do to help President Mahama, the time is now. Those who have ears let them listen to what I am saying.

magjackson80@yahoo.com

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