NDC lied, it padded NPP campaign promises–Oppong Nkrumah
The Minister of Information had called out the National Democratic Congress for fabricating promises in the ruling New Patriotic Party 2016 manifesto.
Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said the NDC’s assessment of unfulfilled promises lacked credibility, as it was full of misrepresentations and charades.
He said the NDC media briefing on Tuesday that sought to suggest that the NPP had fulfilled only 14% of its promises was hollow and intellectually dishonest.
In a reaction to the NDC’s accusations, he took on the main the main opposition party condemning it for padding the NPP’s 388 promises outlined in February at a Town Hall meeting in Kumasi by adding extra 235 promises to push the governing New Patriotic Party’s roll of promises to 631.
The NDC had also said the NPP had failed to deliver 86% of the 631 promises, meaning the government had delivered only 14% of its promises.
But Mr Oppong Nkrumah insisted that the NPP had achieved 78% of its social contract with Ghanaians and not what the NDC claimed.
“The purpose of seeking to increase the NPP’s number of promises is twofold, as we enter the 2020 conversation, one of the narratives they seek to carve is a narrative of dishonesty. In order to give life or credence to that narrative.
“They have to create scenarios that if indeed we made 388 promises, they will find ways of adding 235 and in the end claim that we have been dishonest. What they seek to downplay our achievement as a country and as a people.
How NDC got 631 promises wrong
Delving into how the NDC got its disputed figures in a comparative analysis of the presentation, he said in agriculture for instance, the opposition party boxed together introductions, body and specific visions and strategic frameworks in the NPP’s manifesto—instead of stating of using what the party specifically promised to do about the agriculture sector.
“This attempt to distort the base and claim that we have made a representation that is dishonest is the true definition of intellectual dishonesty. How is it that you pick words and phrases out of the vision and strategy and claim they are promises?”
He said the government had provided evidence of its performance on www.delivery.gov.gh which was announced on the very day, the Vice president did the presentation.
“These so-called 14% will not be believed by hardcore NDC members. If you ask them, they will not score President Akufo-Addo 14% on his record so far.
When the NPP took to the town hall meeting in February to account to the people, it stated that 85 out of its 235 promises had not been tackled.
Repackaged
However, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said the NDC repackaged the very promises the government admitted it had not been able to fulfill.
“We also take special note of their new claim that the Akufo-Addo administration has mainly failed to take note has failed in restoring the economy to health. The new narrative they want to spin out of it is that Ghana’s debt position is worse off than it was, as at the end of 2016.
He said the NDC had to be reminded of the state of the economy in 2016 and how it sent the country to the International Monetary Fund for a bailout. We all see what the IMF says about Ghana’s economy today, in the IMF country report that spells out where we were and where we are now.
With the NDC website, www.nppfailedpromises.com, crashing a few hours after it was announced, Mr Oppong Nkrumah could not help mocking the NDC, saying “they advertised that they rolled out a website with all the details so we could all interrogate these promises some more.
“We’ve been trying to do so. As at about 10-13 minutes ago, this advertised website, which is supposed to contain the details of these failed promises that we have not been able to fulfil is still not up.”
“For a group that claims that they are calling out the administration for being intellectually dishonest…This smoke and mirror exercise we’ve had today, if you take away the screens and flashes and so on, it is nothing different from what we have observed in times past.”
He said the NDC had a history of undermining the country’s progress, especially when it came to fulfilling social contracts.
NDC’s moral right
The NDC has no moral right to question the NPP administration on fulfilling promises.
“When you compare their first term of four years. Promises made and promises that have fulfilled, to where we and yet to complete our four years, the results are staggering.
Analysing, the NDC’s 2008 manifesto implemented from 2009 to 2013, he said the NDC promised not to make excuse for corrupt government officials but it officials were caught pant down in the Woyome judgment debt scandal that cost the country GHc 51 million.
He said 67% of the NDC’s individual and specific promises were not fulfilled.
“This is the group that has become the apostles in fulfilment of social contracts. It was only 33% of their promises that they were able to fulfill. If anybody want to push a conversation about the fulfilment of social contracts, this group that today seek to distort our record must be exposed for who they are.”
NPP welcomes debate
He said the NPP was willing to debate the NDC on alternative policies on “what it takes to revamp the Ghanaian economy, alternative programmes on agriculture.
Seeking to set the agenda for the 2020 election, he said,“2020 is about credible alternative proposals generally and specifically in the areas of building a strong robust, expanding economy that would provide jobs, incomes and opportunities for the majority of our people. It is about the quality of leadership in times of crisis. It is about strong social protection programmes that will alleviate the poverty of our people”