Dear NDC,
I have followed with curiosity your attempt to rise up to the
innocuous CHALLENGE posed to you by His Excellency Alhaji Dr. Bawumia to
mention a SINGLE [just one] social intervention policy you had successfully
INTRODUCED and SUSTAINED in your entire 8-year rule. I ignore the fact that it
took you almost two weeks to attempt a response to Dr. Bawumia’s challenge
because I appreciate the difficulties you found yourself in trying hard to identify
a SINGLE social intervention policy you had successfully INTRODUCED and
SUSTAINED [emphasis on “introduced” and “sustained”].
However, what I CANNOT ignore is to do a CRITIQUE of your
response having waited for almost a month and taking cognizance of not only the
statement issued by Dr. Omane Boamah but also comments made by your former
government officials and party communicators purporting to respond to Dr.
Bawumia’s challenge. Having done this exercise, my conclusion, unfortunately,
is that, you still haven’t been able to meet the challenge. In other words, you
still haven’t been able to tell the Ghanaian people any single social
intervention you had successfully introduced and sustained.
What you successfully did; was to set your own questions and
proceeded to answer same. Respectfully, Dr. Bawumia did not ask you to mention
social amenities you had successfully provided in the 8 years you were in
office. He certainly couldn’t have asked you that question or posed such a
challenge to you. This is because the provision of social amenities is the
mundane and primary responsibility of every government and indeed, all
governments in our history have shown some commitments in the provision of
social amenities. Even the Hilla Liman government which ruled Ghana for less
than 3 years did provide a lot of social amenities within that short period.
I refuse to accept your definition of social intervention policy
to include the provision of social amenities such as schools, hospitals,
bridges, water, electricity, road infrastructure among others. This, like I
said, is basic and all governments have done that to a very significant extent.
However, for social intervention policy, it takes a lot of thinking beyond the
realm of ordinary to introduce, implement and sustain in a manner that will
touch the lives of every Ghanaian across the regions. Social interventions
entail programmes that are so grandiose as to shake the very foundation of
poverty in the country and provide significant relief to the overwhelming
majority of Ghanaians nationwide.
Social interventions therefore include programmes like the
Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP), National Health Insurance
Scheme, National Youth Employment Programme, Free Maternal Health Care, The
School Feeding Programme, The Capitation Grant, The Metro Mass Transit, Discovery
of Oil in Commercial quantity, MASLOC, Cocoa Mass Spraying, Free SHS, Zongo
Development Fund, Planting for Food and Jobs, Cancelation of the payment of BECE
Registration Fees, NABCO and the likes. Interestingly, all these social intervention
policies seen in Ghana were introduced, implemented and sustained by the NPP
under former President Kufuor and now, His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo.
The NPP, which surprisingly, was founded on the principle of capitalism,
conservatism, property owning democracy, liberalism and centre-rightness, is
rather the political party that is able to pride itself with the successful
implementation of all the social intervention policies recently seen in this
country. Whereas you [the NDC] despite your claims of having been founded on
the principle of social democracy, you are finding it almost impossible to
mention even a SINGLE pro-poor social intervention policy successfully
introduced and implemented by you in your entire 8 years. How ironic!
Well, back to Dr. Bawumia’s challenge, having drawn the line
between social amenities and social interventions, can you [NDC] now tell us a
SINGLE social intervention policy you had successfully introduced and sustained
in your entire 8 years to provide such significant relief to Ghanaians as a
whole? And please, don’t come telling us about distribution of free exercise books
and textbooks, which every government does. Don’t tell us about building
schools, hospitals and roads, which every government does. Don’t tell us about
the over-size school uniforms, which you provided once and couldn’t sustain.
Perhaps, what would have met the threshold of social
intervention under your term is SADA. Unfortunately, it became the vehicle
which you used to siphon money in pursuance to your create-loot-and-share
enterprise which characterized your 8-year administration. So, don’t tell us
about SADA. You cannot tell us about the bus branding either; nor can you tell
us about the payment of judgment debts to your cronies and functionaries. I bet
you, if you are able to mention a SINGLE social intervention policy you
successfully introduced and sustained, I, Iddi Muhayu-Deen, would DEFECT from
the NPP and join your fold. Of course, I know you need me. So, just “do the do”
and let’s play along. The challenge lives on… JUST ONE!
Assalamu alaik
Yours in Service of God and Country,
Iddi Muhayu-Deen
NPP Youth Activist
#ForGodAndCountry
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