A flag bearer hopeful on the ticket of the NPP, Dr. Arthur Kennedy, says he plans to embark on an efficient decentralization of the current government structure to give true meaning to the process.He says it is not helpful to compel the president to appoint at least half of his ministers from parliament. In his view this does not give enough room for the president to be constructively criticized by his appointees for fear of loosing their positions.
Dr. Kennedy who said these over the weekend at a town hall meeting in Toronto, Canada stressed that DCE’s and City Mayors should be decided through a ballot.
The meeting patronized by a cross-section of Ghanaians also hosted another presidential hopeful, Yaw Osafo Marfo.
He would like all Ghanaians to put on a “can do attitude”. He also decried the current tension between former president Rawllings and president Kuffour saying it does not help development.
In an interview with Isaac Tetteh, a Toronto based Ghanaian journalist, Dr. Arthur Kennedy his plans for Ghana.
AK: Since agriculture is the mainstay of our economy we need to build infrastructure, we need to build storage facilities, we need to build processing plants, we need to open-up markets so that more people will live in the rural areas and be encouraged to farm and in addition to that we need to give them credit facilities.
Outside agric, I want to boost a real estate industry. I think we need to build a lot of public and low cost housing; all these will create a lot of jobs. And overall I want to boost educational opportunities particularly in the technical areas so that the youth can acquire skill that will give them jobs that pay living wages.
IT: One other thing you will have to fight is this coloration of the party as “corrupt and cocaine”, how would you as flag bearer of NPP help to do away with this kind of tag on the party?
AK: I have already published an anti-corruption policy on the internet and i plan to enforce it vigorously.
Actually even whilst I wait for parliament to pass the necessary laws, I will reach agreement with the necessary stakeholders and do by executive order the kind of things I can do in 30 60 and 90 days that all these things are being done.
I think that corruption and cocaine are not just NPP problems, they are Ghanaian problem and I think we all, independent of our political affiliation should come together in the middle and face those problems and as president I will lead this relentlessly.
IT: Salary disparities have caused major industrial upheavals. Doctors have threatened to go on strike, NAGRAT just returned from theirs and many others are also planning to go on strike. What would you do as president of Ghana to solve these discrepancies so we don’t have trouble on the labour front?
AK: I think they have set up a salary review commission that is working. I think that the way to solve this is to move to an economy where the government has as little as possible to do with salaries. We need to boost private businesses and private industry.
If you take the USA for example, a majority of doctors are not hired by government so they negotiate their wages on the private market. That is why I like national health insurance.
In the USA 15% of their economy is healthcare. National Health Insurance will encourage more people to enter into healthcare and that will take the issue of salaries away from government.
IT: What is your assessment of NPP for six years?
AK: I think they have been far better than the NDC but we ought to do better and we can do better.
Dr. Arthur Kennedy, an NPP flag bearer hopeful speaking with Isaac TETTEH.
this is the man we need
ReplyDeleteThe best among the rest.
ReplyDeleteHw has what it takes to make ghana better.
The youthfull leader we have always been waiting for is finally here. Ghana should do what is right.