KEEP US ON OUR TOES (SPREAD)

GHANAIANS have been called upon to draw the government’s attention to deficiencies in the numerous initiatives it has designed to revamp the economy and improve their material conditions.
President John Evans Atta Mills, who made the call, said since members of the government were mortals and had shortcomings, it was proper for the electorate to subject their policies to serious critique and provide concrete alternatives which would bring about dramatic transformation in all sectors of the economy.
Addressing the Oguaaman Traditional Council in Cape Coast as part of his maiden visit to the Central Region after his electoral victory and installation as the Head of State, President Mills said his government was always prepared to consult Ghanaians on the way forward to address the litany of problems confronting the economy.
He said since no political party in the country could lay claim to wisdom and scholarship, it was proper and fitting for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration to sample the opinions of the people and factor them into the formulation of national policies for the benefit of the broad masses of the people.
President Mills pointed out that the management of the economy was an arduous task, which called for broader consultations among the various stakeholders in order to arrive at logical conclusions which would lead to a qualitative improvement in the well-being of the people.
He said he was also aware that the electorate had mounted a constant surveillance on the lifestyles of all appointees of the government from the district to the national.
This act, President Mills said, was in the right direction as it would go a long way to check abuse and excesses among government functionaries and also make them more accountable to the people who entrusted political power to them.
He gave the assurance that his administration would strive at all times to be exemplary in its conduct and character since there was widespread poverty in the country.
“ My tour of the entire country gave me an idea of how poverty had become endemic in some regions for which reason I have decided to make sure that the country’s resources are not squandered but used for the eradication of the menace, which is threatening the lives of millions in the country,” President Mills said.
He said the government had prioritised its programmes of development and would, as a matter of urgency, tackle first the problems bedevilling the poverty-stricken regions in the country.
President Mills explained that the pattern of development in the past had, to a reasonable extent, been concentrated in the southern belt at the expense of the northern regions, making the north lack any meaningful development.
He said it was for that reason that there had been massive influx of people from those areas, especially the youth, to the southern regions, thereby putting pressure on available infrastructure and amenities there.
The Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, said the government was committed to the development of the region’s economic and human potential and would not renege on it.
For his part, the Omanhene of the Oguaa Traditional Council, Osabarima Kwesi Atta, commended President Mills for his leadership qualities and impressed upon him to remember his campaign pledge to provide employment for the people.