Former President John Mahama has accused the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) of making promises it has no capacity to fulfill.
He said he had all the opportunities to compete with the NPP for the wildest promises during the 2016 polls but he declined the temptation and turned down suggestions to follow that trajectory.
Speaking at the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s Unity Walk in Tarkwa in the Western Region Saturday, Mr Mahama said he was not brought up to make empty promises.
Several people came to tell me to make promises as was done by the NPP but I told them I was not trained that way [and] if I can’t do it I won’t make a promise, he said in Twi.
Mr Mahama had taken on the then NPP presidential candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over his many campaign promises, describing him as a desperate man.
Mr Akufo-Addo had promised to provide free senior high school (SHS) education, make available $1million to each of the 275 constituencies, construct one factory in each of the 216 districts and abolish some nuisance taxes.
Although some of his promises have been fulfilled, others such as the $1million to each constituency have not been done nearly one year in office.
Ex-president Mahama said he cringed when that promise was made because as president then, he knew the state coffers was not healthy to support that ambitious plan.
“We were in government and we said it is not possible,” he said of the $1million-to-each-constituency promise.
He said his values in life are similarly shared by all NDC members and that prevent them from making promises they will not be able to fulfill.
“NDC is a party that doesn’t lie [and] what we can’t do, we won’t say we will do and what we say we will, we do them,” he said, adding Ghanaians are now disappointed with the government.
Source: JFM/Ghana
