During the 2016 electioneering campaign, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) told Ghanaians how it have improved upon the infrastructure of the country. The New Patriotic Party (NPP), on the other hand, told voters measures they would put in place to improve upon infrastructure.
Then incumbent President then, who was also the flagbearer of the NDC, John Dramani Mahama, together with his party bigwigs, subsequently published a book titled the Green Book, where they listed all the projects they had executed during their tenure, and these projects included interchanges as well.
The NPP, however, punctured holes in most of the claims by the NDC, and promised to do better when given the mandate, a promise which contributed largely to their landslide victory at the 2016 general elections.
Fast forward, the Akufo-Addo government, through its commitment to spread development to every corner of the nation, is constructing the first-ever interchange in Tamale, but a national executive of the NDC, who had touted construction of interchanges as an achievement, now believes a different project could have been undertaken instead of the interchange.
During an interview with Tamale Radio, a video of which is posted on the station’s Facebook page, the National Women’s Organiser of the NDC, Dr Hannah Bissiw, who was in the studio with the party’s National Organiser, Joshua Akamba, described the much-praised project as needless.
Commenting on the Electoral Commission’s (EC) plan to compile a new voters’ register, upon which Parliament has approved some GH¢390 million for the exercise, Dr Hannah Bissiw said the government could have used that money to repair roads in Tamale.
With passion, she continued, “they (government) could have used that money to do the interchange that Tamale people… I don’t even think that we in Tamale will say we need an interchange.
“We say give us good roads, give us water, give us good schools for our children to attend. I mean give us good livelihoods. That’s what we want. So that they’ll stop deceiving the people of Tamale with these roofing sheets that they’ve used to be blocking our roads and causing so much discomfort, inconvenience in the metropolis,” vociferous Dr Hannah Bissiw ranted.
Nonetheless, Dr Hannah Bissiw’s party, the NDC, is vehemently opposing the decision of the EC, an independent electoral body, to have a new voter register for the 2020 election.
Even the party’s representatives in Parliament boycotted the sitting which discussed the budget for the new register.
Last weekend, the NDC joined supporters of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), People’s National Convention (PNC), Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere (EGLE) Party, All Progressives Party (APC), and Great Consolidated Population Party (GCPP) to demonstrate in Tamale against the new voters’ register.
Meanwhile, 13 other political parties have backed the EC’s decision.
The parties, which include the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), National Democratic Party (NDP), and People’s National Convention (PNC), among others, believe the EC has made a solid case for a new register in terms of cost, time and credibility.
Solidifying its stance, the EC during a news conference said it took the decision based on the advice of its IT team and external Consultants to the effect that, it would be prudent to acquire a new system rather than refurbish the current system.
According to the Commission, in the view of experts, the cost of frequent replacement of failing parts and the renewal of warranties through third-parties was comparable to the acquisition of a brand new system with full service and warranties.
In effect, the amount of money spent on refurbishing parts and renewing warranties could be used to acquire a brand new system that is robust, modern, durable, and user-friendly with full functionality and warranties.
Worthy of note, the EC explained further that the equipment the entire voter management system runs on, from enrollment, duplication, and adjudication to voters’ verification was obsolete and no longer supported by the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM).
It added that the report from the immediate past vendors of the solution indicated that the Commission would assume so much needless risks if steps were not taken to change the equipment.
Source: The Chronicle
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Madam, why do you talk like that? This is a metropolitan area growing very fast. We do not wait till the critical point before taking knee jerk measures. In anycase, why are people insulting her? We can DEBATE THE ISSUE. We as a people need a school curriculum which will assess critical thinking through debates. I have never understood why we need to insult to make a point. Someone should explain this phenomenon to me.
THIS IS THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF THEIR UNCONTROLLED PROPAGANDA. WHERE THEY TALK ANYHOW, WITH EXAMINING THE NET EFFECT OF THEIR PRONOUNCEMENT. HOW? VERY INCREDIBLE. TAMALE AND TAKORADI ARE THE NEXT AFTER ACCRA AND KUMASI.TAMALE DESERVES BETTER. THIS IS AN UNDERCURRENT OF TRIBAL BIGOTRY BY HANNA. IF WE DON'T KNOW DEATH LET US LOOK AT SLEEP. BUT I THINK THE CLAIMED THEY HAD FINISHED CONTSRUCTING ALL THE ROADS IN GHANA? OYIWAH BROTHERS FROM THE NORTH LET US RISE UP AGAINST THIS APPARENT DISCRIMINATORY SPEECH. NO AMMOUNT OF APOLOGY CAN CURE THE SCAR. PERIOD. This woman is indirectly telling us that, for the 8 years that NDC was in power, they never provided Tamale with roads, water, schools etc. And by the way, the interchange NDC built at Circle and made so much noise about it, were all the people in Accra provided with water, roads, schools etc., before you built it? These NDC people talk as if they have never ruled this country before!
Please don't insult her. You know what? Just listen to all the NDC' gurus who call themselves doctors, honourables, colleague learnedand the so-called ' we've gone to school...where do they build their houses when they get money? They don't just see the need to help their brothers and sisters to develope, so that they can look down upon them when they go back these people will bow and worship them. Who told you Accra needed that interchange at Circle. Tamale must begin to say good bye to Hannah Bisiw and her NDC for good. No wonder she was walking with Akamba who said anyone can go to an institution and demand job without certificate when they come to power...they don't talk from their heads but...
This woman is indirectly telling us that, for the 8 years that NDC was in power, they never provided Tamale with roads, water, schools etc. And by the way, the interchange NDC built at Circle and made so much noise about it, were all the people in Accra provided with water, roads, schools etc., before you built it? These NDC people talk as if they have never ruled this country before!
CASE OF SOUR GRAPES. THE BEST ROADS IN TAMALE WERE CONSTRUCTED DURING KUFOUR'S TIME. DID THEY NOT KNOW THAT THE PEOPLE OF TAMALE NEEDED ROADS WHEN THE EC THEN SPENT 487MILLION CEDIS FOR ONLY LIMITED REGISTRATION OF 800,000 VOTERS IN 2016? COMPARE THAT TO THE CURRENT SITUATION OF 390MILLION CEDIS TO REGISTER 16MILLION VOTERS PLUS COMPLETELY NEW EQUIPPMENT AND DATA CENTRE. CHARACTERS LIKE HANAH BISSEW WILL KEEP NDC IN OPPOSITION FOR A VERY LONG TIME. SHE IS A LOOSE CANON FOR THE NDC.
Characters like Hannah Bissiw is maintaining NDC in Opposition perpetually because of their utterances. Temale also deceive better in development and uncultured Hannah Bissiw thinks otherwise .Very shameful to NDC who just exit power 3 years ago. The people of Temale should vent their anger on her recent comments that Temale does not deserve an inter-change rather her home-town deserves .This is very disrespectful to the people of Temale.
YES, THEY DON'T NEED INTERCHANGE. THE RATHER NEED ***barred word*** WOMAN LIKE YOU, HANNAH.
Woman you don’t sound c0rrect, you need to see psychiatric Doctor