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A governance expert has criticised the New Patriotic Party (NPP) saying its claim that the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) will steal its manifesto hence the delay in the release is not sustainable.
Dr Kwesi Jonah said it will be very difficult for the NPP to support its claim considering that solutions to the many challenges facing the country could be similar.
According to him, “It is not uncommon for two different people, two different groups to have the same idea.”
Dr Jonah who is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG) disclosed this on the MultiTV news analysis programme, PM Express.
The national campaign manager of the NPP has recently said the party will delay the release of its 2016 manifesto for fear of their policy ideas being plagiarised by the NDC.
Peter Mac Manu claimed the NPP’s 2012 manifesto was stolen and redrafted by the NDC.
Reacting to the issue, Dr Jonah expressed worry saying “it becomes very problematic to say that I won’t bring out my manifesto because another person will steal it.”
He said “If there is a problem, the solution one party may be thinking about, will also be thought out by another party,” hence it will be difficult to identify the issue of theft.
He, however, urged the opposition NPP to come out with its manifesto if it is afraid the NDC will steal its ideas.
“Do come out and let the entire world, every single Ghanaian to associate that idea with you,” he said.
He noted political researchers have “come to realise one thing that political parties are gravitating towards the centre. It is very difficult to find cases of extreme. It means they will tend to have the same ideas and ideas that are extremely difficult will be very few.”
Contributing on the show, Dean of the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS), Dr Eric Oduro, said Ghanaians are to be blamed for the current posture of political parties.
He said the entire electoral system is silent on when the political parties are supposed to come out with their manifestoes.
“Manifestoes are very important when it comes to democracy. It’s a way of
helping people understand the intention of government. Unfortunately in our part of the world, political parties have taken citizens for a ride,” he said.
Dr Oduro said “political parties put things on paper and they end up not
implementing 50 percent of that, yet still they get elected.”
But, he said the nation is awakening from that stupor saying “we are going
past that stage. Now people are very discerning, now they are prepared to hold political parties accountable for it.”
“We need an entire political framework or framework within the country to insist on the right thing,” he said.
Source: Myjoyonline.com