Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Africa, has quipped that the political landscape has entered the ‘silly season’ of campaign promises, highlighting the outlandish and unrealistic pledges being made by politicians ahead of the December 7th polls.
Accordingly, Cudjoe encouraged citizens to keep track of broken political promises from Ghana’s recent history, welcoming the inclusion of humorous or outrageous examples, to expose the disconnect between campaign vows and actual governance.
He noted that the late Daniel Augustus Lartey, former presidential candidate of the Great Consolidated Popular Party, was the only politician in Ghana’s Fourth Republic who truly understood the value of keeping promises, having campaigned on a platform of domestication.
According to Cudjoe, Lartey’s commitment to his promises sets him apart as a rare example of integrity in Ghanaian politics.
“In 2008, he promised to mobilize internal resources to the tune of $840 billion, up from the current ~$7 billion. On a comparative basis, this means Ghana’s GDP during the tenure of this party will be $2 trillion, making the country the 5th wealthiest in the world – richer than the UK and France- Ambitious but value-driven”
“Other politicians in that year were at their spectacularly jocular best; One said he’ll provide free electricity to the masses by means of suspending ‘permanent magnets’ in the air”.
Franklin Cudjoe
Franklin Cudjoe highlighted another humorous campaign promise: to cultivate donkeys in large numbers to boost the North’s agricultural output.
This proposed integrated pastoral system, he indicated, was intended to leverage donkeys for dual purposes – providing free fertilizer through their droppings and serving as substitutes for mechanization.
He wishes politicians would pause to evaluate the promises they make and ask themselves if they would be willing to invest their own resources in such initiatives, or if they’re just empty promises.
According to Cudjoe, political campaigns and promises should be built on substance rather than mere words, with a focus on realistic and achievable goals that can drive meaningful change, rather than just appealing to voters.
Issah Warns Of NDC’s ‘Political Gimmicks’
Moreover, Fuseini Issah, the former MP for Okaikwei North, cautioned against what he termed as ‘political gimmicks’ being employed by the NDC with regard to their campaign promises.
Consequently, he advised Ghanaians to exercise caution and not be deceived by Mahama’s maneuvers, emphasizing that the country’s future is at stake and could be severely impacted if they are not careful.
Fuseini Issah pointed out that John Mahama’s recent promise is inconsistent with his previously stated positions on policy and intervention, revealing a striking contradiction.
“If I had not lived under his stewardship of this country, I’d have thought that I was speaking to the pope. Fortunately, I lived under his stewardship, and his legacy is there for all of us to see. This is a man promising to waive the academic fee for students of public universities when, in another breath, he is telling us that he is going to review Free SHS and that private schools are going to be brought under the Free SHS. I’m not too sure about the consistency of the policy”.
Fuseini Issah
Issah further emphasized his lack of confidence in Mahama’s leadership, declaring that he would not vote for him and encouraging fellow Ghanaians to carefully consider the former president’s credibility before making their decision.
“This is a man who told us that if he had GHC2 billion, he would not invest in Free SHS as the Akufo-Addo government has done”. – Fuseini Issah
He highlighted the hypocrisy of John Mahama and his party, who previously ran adverts opposing Free SHS, now promising to scrap tuition fees for first-year students at public universities, a stark contrast that exposes their inconsistent stance on education policy.
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