The Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, says his Saturday ‘waakye’ session with some of his constituents has exposed him to some realities facing the country.
According to him, while the Akufo-Addo-led administration can boast of many successes within the five years that it has been in power, some challenges must be tackled and addressed as the party seeks to break the eight-year political circle.
Addressing a three-day workshop for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Majority Group in Parliament, the Effutu Member of Parliamet said the government has a responsibility to respond to the needs of the people while deepening the enviable gains made and communicate, market, and sell the achievements.
“Recently, ladies and gentlemen, I sat down to have ‘Waakye’ with some ordinary citizens of our great nation. It was not planned. It was a random act on a fine Saturday morning. But, as we ate together, these citizens of our country shared the concerns agitating their minds with me.
“They spoke about the growing challenges facing their businesses; concerns about the limited job opportunities available in our country; the increasing difficulties they face trying to put food on their dinner tables.
“They worry about the falling value of the Ghana cedi against the US dollar and other major currencies, as well as the never-ending infrastructure deficit in Ghana’s health, energy, education and road sectors,” he said.
According to him, while these concerns are sometimes unfounded, unpalatable, and unjust, there are times that they are the plain truth, indicating they are the realities facing many of the people who voted for the NPP to power to serve the country.
He, therefore, urged the government to see such comments, either good or bad, as stark reminders that while a lot has been done at various levels to transform the country and her economy fundamentally, there is still much work to be done.
“We must tell the good stories about the record number of Ghanaian children successfully graduating from our Senior High Schools free of charge. We must tell the compelling story of the new rail tracks being built around the country. Finally, we must tell the story about the new cocoa production record we have just set.
“We must sell the story of the modern and relatively cheaper district hospitals being built across the country and many more. Yes; we must tell these stories until every city, every township, every village, every hamlet, every settlement and indeed every citizen of Ghana hears and appreciates the actual value of our good works under the Government of President Nana Akufo-Addo.
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“These records will persuade the good people of Ghana and the International community that between the NPP and the opposition, we are the only factual definition of value for money,” he stressed.
The party, according to him, will in the next few weeks gain new insights into Political Communication in its many emerging forms, adding that strategic marketing and communication will be vital in helping break the eight.
“To achieve these, we must seize every opportunity that presents itself to tell the story of our government. We must grab every moment we get on the mass media to sell and defend our record.
“Also, we must do our very best to get our story told more positively on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linked-In, Tik-Tok, Snapchat, and the rest,” he charged the MPs.