IT'S TIME POLITICIANS AVOID EMPTY PROMISES ...Says John Mahama (PAGE 14)

MR John Dramani Mahama, the running mate to the National Democratic Congress flag bearer, Prof. J.E. Atta Mills, has observed that because of the empty promises made by some politicians, all politicians have been branded as people who make promises and do not deliver to them.
“It is about time we changed that trend to gain the confidence of the people,” he told a huge gathering of supporters in Takoradi on Saturday.
Activities in the Twin-City of Sekondi/Takoradi were brought to a standstill when Mr Mahama arrived in the city to address the students wing of the party, Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) at the Takoradi Polytechnic, which turned out to be a street carnival and rally as other supporters and residents demanded to see him in person.
It was all happiness at the Number 9 traffic light at Effiakuma, where the students gathered to welcome and to escort him and his entourage to the campus, as the youth from other parts of the metropolis told the students that since Mr Mahama, whom they called as “Obama” belonged to all of them, he should join them too.
Addressing, the crowd, the running mate expressed shock at the level of support and said “I was invited by the student wing to witness their handing over ceremony and I did not expect to be welcomed this way and to be walked through the principal streets in the metropolis,” he said.
“The beauty of today’s event is that we did not even announce our visit, and people were not bussed in to welcome me and my team, and to get this natural and enthusiastic crowd, I can only ask for God’s blessing for all of you,” he said.
He assured the people that the NDC would ensure a positive development and halt the hardships they face.
He said it was sad that the NPP was trying to take credit for implementing constitutional provisions. “Let me tell you that the capitation grant is not something new. When the 1992 Constitution was being drafted, these were some of the inputs made by the people of Ghana, that after 10 years of the life of the Constitution, there should be Free Universal Basic, Education (FCUBE),” he said.
“From 1992 to 2002 was 10 years and it is therefore sad that when a constitutional provision put together under the NDC was implemented, the NPP decided to take credit for it,” he said.
“We in the NDC knew what was going to happen in 10 years therefore we started increasing educational facilities to accommodate the number. At the tertiary level, we increased universities from three to six, polytechnics from four to 10 and enacted a provision for private tertiary institutions to be accredited, with the establishment of the GETFund, for it to support them,” Mr Mahama added.
He said at the same time, about 264 secondary schools and 2,830 new primary schools were built, with more being constructed before the NDC left power, “Therefore let nobody deceive you that the Capitation Grant was the brain child of the NPP, it is a constitutional provision put together under the NDC."
Other speakers included Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Mr Asiedu Nketia, Mr Victor Smith and other party big wigs.