President John Dramani Mahama has urged National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters and sympathisers to come out in their numbers on Friday, December 7, 2012, to vote for the NDC to ensure a one-touch victory for the party.
He expressed the belief that God would give the NDC victory in the election, and said it was left with the NDC supporters and sympathisers to go out and cast their vote to guarantee the victory.
President Mahama, who is the Presidential candidate of the NDC, made the call at separate rallies at Ashaiman, Tema, Nungua, Old Ningo, Prampram, Ada and Goi, in the Greater Accra Region.
In all the areas, enthusiastic supporters lined up the streets to welcome the President and to lead him and his entourage to the rally grounds.
The supporters echoed the ‘ede bee keke’ slogan of the NDC and danced to the party’s songs. After each of the rallies, some of the supporters followed the President’s convoy dancing to the party’s songs.
The President said it was important for NDC supporters to make sure that they exercise their franchise before travelling.
He said the NDC believed in peace, and therefore, urged the NDC supporters and sympathisers to restrict themselves to the voting, and avoid and avoid any provocation.
He said the security services were ready to deal with any group of people who intended to foment violence on the election day.
President Mahama said after the voting, they should go back home and come back after the close of voting to witness the counting.
President Mahama stressed the need for NDC to avoid ‘skirt and blouse’ voting, which is voting for him as the President and voting for a Parliamentary candidate of a different political party.
He said as the President, he would need majority in Parliament to be support the passage and approval of government policies and programmes.
The President pledged to offer a leadership of humility, tolerance, peace, unity and listening to the views of others.
He said he would use himself as a needle to sew through all Ghanaians to ensure unity and peaceful coexistence in the country.
President Mahama reiterated the government’s commitment to facilitate work on the Ada Sea Defence Project to protect the areas along the coast from vagaries of the sea.
He mentioned that the government would upgrade the Motorway into a six-lane asphalted road and construct an interchange on the motorway round.
On education, the President said the free education policy being proposed by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was just a political ploy to deceive Ghanaians into voting for the party.
He said at this time of the nation’s development, the available resources should be used towards expanding access to education rather than focusing on free education.
For instance, the President said some countries, including Kenya and Botswana, which had introduced free education in the senior high schools (SHS) were struggling with the system.
He said while Botswana had reintroduced fees in SHS, Kenya was appealing to donor agencies and development partners to support her to expand infrastructure and get more facilities to run the schools.
President Mahama said the next NDC believed in expanding access and ensuring quality education.
Consequently, he said, the government intended to create 200 community senior high schools, 10 teacher training colleges, a university in the Eastern Region and many nursing and midwifery training colleges.
However, President Mahama, as resources became more available, the government would work to make SHS progressively free as required by the 1992 Constitution.
President Mahama said the NDC would be equipping the youth with skills and creating more jobs for the youth.
For instance, he said, the government would expand the expand the Local Enterprises and Skills Development Programme (LESDEP) and the Youth Enterprises and Skills Development Programme (YESDEP) to enable more youth to benefit from skills training.
He said after the training, the youth would be provided with equipment and start-up capital to start their own businesses.
Besides, the President said, the next NDC government would come up with a stimulus package to provide long-term financing to thriving businesses in the country.
He said the aim was to enable the businesses to expand and create more job opportunities for the youth.
Source: Musah Yahaya Jafaru/D-Graphic
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