Member of Parliament for the Tain Constituency, Sulemana Adama Ramzy
The Member of Parliament for the Tain Constituency, Hon. Sulemana Adama Ramzy has indicated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been missed by majority of Ghanaians, following the failure of the Akufo-Addo administration to manage the economy well.
Speaking on the sidelines of the just-ended #FixTheCountry demo on Tonton Sansan on TV XYZ, freshman legislator attributed the hardships in the country to the “poor policies” of the Akufo-Addo-led administration on the grounds that every sector of the economy is now suffering from economic mismanagement.
Several thousand protesters, led by social media activists, hit the streets of Accra Wednesday highlighting economic problems, heightening joblessness and government management.
The protesters chanted patriotic songs as they took over the streets of Accra.
Under the slogan “#FixTheCountry”, the placards of the protesters in the latest rally against President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government had inscriptions “corruption breeds poverty” and “fix our education system now” as they marched in Accra’s principal streets amid chanting patriotic songs.
Ramzy who sides with the protesters told host Prince Minkah that the government was not committed to revamping the economy, citing the new taxes that have raised the cost of living in the country.
“All that they [the protesters] are saying is fix our roads, fix our education system, fix our health system, fix our energy problems, fix the perceived corruption,” said the freshman legislator who believes his party- the National Democratic Congress (NDC)- is better managers of the country than the Akufo-Addo government.
Touting the education achievement of the NDC government under former President John Mahama, he said their government transformed the education sector with projects that improved access to quality education.
“Under the Secondary Improvement Programme (SEIP), the NDC under John Mahama rehabilitated over 500 secondary schools and provided dormitories and other ancillary facilities to improve on the quality of the country’s education.”
Ramzy indicated the erstwhile government also commenced the Community Day Schools project to give rural dwellers access to secondary schools across the country.
“By the time we were leaving power, about 80 were nearing completion but this government has not continued the projects and that is why the Free SHS is facing teething challenges that have resulted in the double-track system,” argued the MP.
He said the government has failed to expand electricity access despite benefitting from huge loans over the past four years Akufo-Addo assumed office in 2017, stressing that the government has done about 2% of expansion after the NDC moved it from 54% to 84% in 2016.
He lamented the heightening cost of living and, adding “When the government gets its priorities wrong, the masses will rise up.”
The MP also accused the government of intolerance, saying the NDC government was tolerable and listened to the citizens’ cry although it could not have tackled all the challenges that were showcased.
“The people have missed the NDC because of our responsiveness, tolerance and the projects we embarked on,” he said and pointed out that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) created a false impression that they could out-perform the NDC but failed after winning power.
To him, the policies of the government of the day have resulted in untold hardships, with every sector of the economy taking a hit.
“People are disappointed in the NPP government,” he added and explained that although the National Democratic Congress (NDC) could not have solved all the problems of the country, the Mahama-led NDC is better than the NPP government.