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Press Release
NPP
Friday, March 4, 2016
Part One
Part Two
SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT ON ASEIDU
NKETIAH’S HOLLOW REPRESENTATIONS ON 2ND MARCH, 2016
Ladies and Gentlemen of the media,
Thanks for attending to our invitation to this Press
Conference.
A couple of days ago, the General Secretary of the NDC
Johnson Asiedu Nketia addressed a Press Conference
ostensibly to respond to the True State of the Nation
Address delivered by the Flagbearer of the NPP, Nana
Akufo-Addo earlier in the week.
1. Typical of the NDC and Asiedu Nketia, the strategy was to
denigrate the Person of Nana Akufo-Addo and to avoid the
substance of the issues that he raised.
2. Mr. Asiedu Nketia also went ahead to argue that Nana
Akufo-Addo and the NPP failed to put forward solutions to
the problems that have been created by the 8 years of the
NDC governance.
Then in a quick U-turn, which was symptomatic of his lack of
appreciation of the issues raised, He further claimed that
whatever alternatives the proposed were not attainable.
3. And finally he dabbled in a repetition of President
Mahama’s tales and sought to justify some of the President’s
false claims with a couple of photographs purporting to show
that some abandoned projects were apparently still being
worked on.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have called you here today to set
the records straight and to expose the lies that Asiedu
Nketia sought to tell in that hurriedly raised Press
Conference.
DRILL SHIP SAGA
The NDC’s claim that Nana
Akufo-Addo caused financial loss to the State in the Drill
Ship judgment debt case is laughable and betrays the
“demonize Nana Akufo-Addo at all costs” strategy of the NDC.
As we all know, the Drill Ship-related debt was actually a
debt owed by the GNPC to Société Générale, which amounted to
47 million dollars by the time the NPP government under
President Kufuor took office. Asiedu Nketia’s misguided and
erroneous reference to Nana Akufo-Addo’s alleged
incompetence is borne out of the usual ignorance and/or
deliberate attempts to mislead the public.
Now, what are the facts of the so-called Drill Ship Saga,
which should properly be called the Tsikata/GNPC debt saga?
Mr. Tsikata, then Chief Executive of GNPC, against all
corporate governance best practices and principles
contracted the debt from the French bank, Société Générale,
and pledged the Drill Ship “Discoverer 511”, owned by GNPC,
as collateral against the debt, without any authority from
GNPC’s Board of Directors whatsoever.
When Tsikata and GNPC defaulted, the debt was inherited by
the Kufuor Government, and Akufo-Addo, as Attorney-General,
after reviewing the facts and merits of the case, chose to
settle the matter, with the approval of President Kufuor.
As it turned out, instead of 47 million dollars, Ghana paid
19.5 million dollars after the Drill Ship “Discoverer” was
sold for 24 million dollars to defray the settlement. How
anyone, who helped save this country nearly 30 million
dollars, can be said to have caused financial loss to the
State simply boggles the mind. This was a mess created by
GNPC under the leadership of Tsatsu Tsikata and the first
NDC government and cleared up by Nana Akufo-Addo and the
Kufuor government.
This bogus and propaganda allegation, which is founded on
the equally bogus propaganda report of the Judgment Debt
Commission, should be dismissed by all right-thinking
Ghanaians, especially as the Commission conspicuously failed
to call Nana Akufo-Addo to testify in the matter, even
though Nana Akufo-Addo indicated publicly his willingness to
testify, if invited.
The allegation that there was a settlement between GNPC and
Société Générale to pay 14 million dollars has never been
proven anywhere and there is no factual support for that
illusory claim. Yet this is the reason Asiedu Nketia says
that, by settling a debt of 47 million dollars with 19.5
million dollars, financial loss was caused to the State by
Nana Akufo-Addo.
This is ridiculous and a vain and patently useless attempt
to try to tag Nana Akufo-Addo with incompetence and
corruption, something that continues to elude the NDC for
all the systematic efforts they put into it. The judge, who
failed to invite Nana Akufo-Addo to testify, but who,
against all the accepted norms of respectable judicial
conduct, proceeded to make these unsubstantiated
allegations, was, in the culture of the NDC, duly rewarded
with promotion to the Supreme Court.
The facts on the drill ship saga are settled.
THE ECONOMY
The facts on the Economy remain undisputed. Ghana’s Economy
is in crises today with all the major pillars of the economy
recording negative growth. Yet Asiedu Nketia touts a GDP
growth figure, which was recorded in the year 2012 driven by
first oil from Kufuor’s 2007 oil find as evidence that they
have done well. Even their own promise of an 8% GDP growth
p.a., they have failed woefully to meet recording 3.5%
according to the IMF from which they get their Policy
credibility.
INFLATION
Mr. Asiedu Nketia is holding on to single digit inflation
which they recorded in 2010-2011 based on manipulation of
the basket of goods for calculation as evidence that this
government has managed the economy well. He seems to have
forgotten that once the basket of goods for calculating
inflation was adjusted today’s true Inflation stands at over
19%!!!!!!!!
INTEREST RATE
Has worsened from 26% per annum to average 33% today
DEFICIT
NPP left a deficit of 6.6 in 2008. President Mahama worsened
it to 12% in 2012.
In 2015, the NDC is aiming at 6.6% of GDP, which is the
level that the NPP achieved in 2008.
CEDI
The price of the dollar has arisen by about 250% in 7years.
ZONGO DEVELOPMENT
It is interesting that the NDC’s Asiedu Nketiah will attempt
to mock such laudable ideas like the Zongo Development Fund,
which will be set up to improve conditions and build vitally
needed amenities in the Zongos and other Inner Cities. This
is coming from a Party that claims to love Zongos so much.
We recall that this was the same way the NDC launched
scathing attacks on the proposed Northern Development
Authority, led by John Mahama, only to turn around to steal
the idea and totally mismanage it and turn it into an avenue
for looting scarce resources meant for the development of
the North.
Is it not laughable that Asiedu Nketiah and the NDC will
today question policies on the establishment of special
funds? This is coming from a Party and government that
devoted a special fund to rearing Guinea Fowls who as we
later found out all migrated to neighboring Burkina Faso.
Asiedu Nketiah claimed that the highest growth rates and
longest periods of single digit inflation were achieved
under the NDC and asked that Ghanaians be continually
grateful to the NDC for such achievements.
But ladies and gentlemen, what is the value of a high growth
rate and single digit inflation, years ago when at the end
of the day, the reckless management of the Economy and
corruption has landed us back at the doorsteps of the IMF
for a bailout? What is the value of such achievements when
for over 3 years, Economic Growth has stagnated and
Manufacturing growth has been in the negative? What is the
value of such achievements when as a result of the
mismanagement of the economy, resources have become so
scarce that the government has resorted to imposing and
increasing taxes on every conceivable good and service
including condoms, cutlasses, savings etc.?
What is the value of such achievements years ago when as a
result of the incompetence of the current government,
Ghanaians have been burdened with a 4 year long Dumsor
phenomenon which has led to the needless deaths of hundreds
of Ghanaians and destroyed thousands of lives?
What is the value of such achievements when today, as a
result of the ditch Ghana finds itself in, the government is
desperate to abolish every conceivable allowance and
incentive for workers and businesses including Teacher and
Nursing Trainee allowances? What is the value of such
achievements when Agric, the largest employer of the
Ghanaian people is now firmly on a backward track?
Ladies and Gentlemen, this attempt by the NDC to hang on to
a high growth rate for a single year, is nothing but yet
another classic display of mediocrity and shameless
incompetence.
For the records, ladies and gentlemen, the highest non-oil
GDP growth rate according to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS)
till date, was achieved under the NPP in 2008 when the
economy saw a 9.1% Growth. The closest the NDC got to this
unprecedented non-oil GDP was in 2012 when the non-oil GDP
was 8.6% - since then and as a result of the recklessness in
that year, economic growth has been on a steady decline.
For the records again, ladies and gentlemen, the 2011 GDP
growth rate of some 14% which the NDC likes to cling on, was
as a result of the fact that 2011 was the first year of the
inclusion of oil proceeds into our kitty and GDP
calculations. The non-oil GDP for the year 2011 was 8.2%,
far lower than the 9.1% (according to the GSS) the NPP left
office with in 2008, when it must be added, the Global
Economy was in unprecedented crisis. We need not remind you
that the oil discovery was fully the result of the
competence, foresight and commitment of the NPP
administration under Former President Kufuor, to finding oil
after decades of mismanagement and looting by the NDC
through GNPC.
So again, Asiedu Nketiah demonstrated his penchant to lie
and the fact that he and his NDC appointees are very bad
when it comes to reading and finding information for
themselves, when he claimed that the NPP couldn’t match
their high GDP Growth Rate. It is not surprising why Ghana
is in such a dire state today.
Indeed, what was most ridiculous was the attempt to hand
this false credit to John Mahama, even though it was under
the Presidency of John Atta Mills, when at the same time,
the NDC and Asiedu Nketiah continued claiming falsely that
their government had been in power for only 4 years. Indeed,
we have noticed with amusement how almost all the projects
being claimed by John Mahama today, were either initiated
under the NPP administration or under the first 4 years of
the NDC administration (2009-2012) but how desperate John
Mahama and his NDC try to make these projects look like
achievements of the last 4 years.
Asiedu Nketiah amongst others also claimed that John Mahama
is committed to transforming the structure of the economy
with an emphasis on manufacturing and listed claims of
support to the manufacturing sector and private business.
These claims, ladies and gentlemen, are not only funny but
an insult to the intelligence of the Ghanaian people and
especially those in the manufacturing industry.
Is it not funny to note that manufacturing for the last
three years has been growing in the negative at a time when
the government and its propagandists are claiming
unprecedented commitment to manufacturing? If being
committed to manufacturing leads to a negative 2%
manufacturing growth as happened in 2015, then one can only
shudder to imagine what would have happened if the
government wasn’t claiming to be committed to Manufacturing.
Ladies and Gentlemen, what is also clear and without dispute
is that despite all the propagandist claims of commitment
and support for private business, under no administration
have Ghanaian businesses suffered more than under the
current incompetent and insensitive John Mahama government.
As we speak, hardworking businessmen and women have closed
down their businesses to protest the unprecedented
anti-business policies and taxes that have been heaped on
the ordinary Ghanaian business. Many of such businessmen
have indeed closed their businesses permanently or been
bankrupted by the policies of the current government.
Indeed, it was under this government that a Deputy Minister
of State remarked that if businesses find taxes too high,
they can relocate to Togo and other neighboring countries.
Under this incompetent government and as a result of mainly
the four year Dumsor, harsh tax policies and generally
unfavorable conditions, hundreds of businesses in the
Agricultural, Industry and Services sectors have all
collapsed or been forced to relocate to neighboring
countries like the Ivory Coast.
Small and medium enterprises like cold stores, barbering
shops and salons, eateries and many others have been the
biggest losers in the current scheme of doing things, where
the government appears to have positioned itself as a rival
to business and is doing everything possible to collapse
them.
This is certainly not a record one has to be proud about,
but the NDC is shameless and will brandish such a record.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the NDC keeps mentioning the Komenda
Sugar Factory as one of their achievements. For over 7
years, they have been touting this claim. But ladies and
gentlemen, how many of us have seen sugar from the Komenda
Sugar Factory before? It will be also interesting to know
how many tones of Shea butter the Buipe Shea Factory, which
is a private enterprise, has produced since it was
established.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Asiedu Nketiah made the weird claim
that Rice importation had significantly decreased under the
NDC – but this is again, another clear lie. Ghana imported
395,400 tons of Rice in 2008. By 2013, this figure had shot
up to 600,000 tones. As to how this is a significant
decrease, only Asiedu Nketiah and John Mahama can explain.
ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS
It amazes all observers that the NDC will claim that the NPP
and Nana Akufo-Addo offered no solutions to the problems
highlighted in the True State of the Nation Address.
This claim by Asiedu Nketia and the NDC sharply betrays the
incompetence that characterizes everything they do. Because
if ever they pay attention to anything the NPP says they
will surely not make such claims when everyone who listened
to or read the Address can bear testimony to the more than
13 Policy Alternatives that were outlined by Nana Akufo-Addo.
If alternatively they listened, then they must surely have a
problem in comprehending. They must be lacking the
competence to understand the text read and published by the
NPP.
For the avoidance of doubt, pages 15-17 of Nana Akufo-Addo’s
address outlines 16 policy solutions to solve the current
challenges that Ghana has been plunged into. Is Mr. Asiedu
Nketia and the NDC saying they neither heard of read these
options?
But if they didn’t read or hear them, how come then Asiedu
Nketia after claiming there were no solutions offered
proceeds to further argue that the NPPs proposals smack of
throwing money at every problem and that that is unworkable.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia and the NDC have by this double speak on
the matter of solutions shown clearly that they are not
interested in the substance of the matters raised in Nana
Akufo-Addo’s address. Instead they are only seeking to
dabble in the same politics of bastardising everything NPP.
Ghanaians however are aware, that the well thought through
Policy initiatives which the NPP always puts on the table is
what is needed at all times in fighting our ills as a
nation. The NDC approach of saying everything by the NPP is
unworkable and then quickly shifting to steal, rename and
poorly implement these Policies has now been seen through by
all and sundry. A few of the 16 include:
As mentioned the 16 Policy Solutions are outlined on pages
15-17 of the NPP statement and can be examined by any
interested objective person.
PRESIDENT MAHAMA’S LIES
Since the President’s address on February 25th many
Ghanaians have openly challenged lots of the untruthful
claims that President Mahama made about projects he had done
across the country.
The NDC in his bid to save the President from the
embarrassment claimed at his Press Conference that Nana
Akufo-Addo had said the Salaga Hospital was non-existent. He
then proceeded to show a picture of the uncompleted
structure on the site using it as a basis to claim Nana
Akufo-Addo lied.
For the Avoidance of doubt permit me to quote Nana
Akufo-Addo’s exact words on Page 3 of his Address. This is
what Nana Akufo-Addo said.
“Far from the work progressing on the 60-bed district
hospital at Salaga, as the President claimed, those who live
in the community describe the site as “fenced, locked and
abandoned. Residents of Hohoe have said their town roads
were done during the Kufuor administration.”
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, have you yourselves as
media houses not confirmed these? Are these words untrue or
difficult to understand? Why then the mischief or deliberate
distortion of the facts to score Political Points?
Subsequent to Nana Akufo-Addo’s address, indeed more
ordinary citizens are coming out daily to challenge the
untruthful claims made by the President.
It remains a fact that many of President Mahama’s claims on
that day were untruthful and have been exposed not only by
Nana Akufo-Addo but by ordinary Ghanaians living in these
communities where he claimed these projects existed.
ROADS
Take roads for example, Mr. Asiedu Nketia claims he is
unaware that the NPP in its 8 years built over 30,000km of
roads with a smaller resource envelope as compared to the
NDCs 3,700km with much more resources in the same 8 year
period? And similar to his propaganda approach the NDC
always takes to things, he invites Ghanaians on en
expedition to search for the NPPs missing roads.
For his information the Data on the NPPs 30,000km of Roads
is verifiable at the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the
Ministry of Transport. Data on the NDCs 3700km of roads
which the President took over 30 minutes to list for
Propaganda effect is also included in his State of the
Nation’s Address. Surely Ghanaians know that 30,000km is
over 8 times the length of 3700km.
No matter how many times they repeat their lies and show
pictures of 3700km of roads, it will not compare to 30,000km
of roads.
And if Mr. Mahama described 30,000km as mediocre, then what
do you call 3,700km.
Cont'd......1/2
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