Physically challenged complain about difficulties to get to polling stations

GNA                         PNC spells-out its agricultural policy for Election 2012  The People's National Convention (PNC) has tagged agriculture and food security as the main stay of the nation's economy based on which the electorates should vote for its presidential candidate Mr Hassan Ayariga on December 7. "Food production is the Central Processing Unit (CPU) of the nation. It provides the fuel that drives the nation's life. That is why the PNC finds the present high cost of food unacceptable as it is beyond the reach of the ordinary Ghanaian. "The PNC also finds unacceptable the present situation whereby the bulk of the nation's foreign exchange is spent on the importation of food that can be produced locally," the PNC said.  The PNC in its Election 2012 Manifesto obtained by the Ghana News Agency (GNA), claimed that it would bring on board an integrated programme comprising the government, farmers, financial institutions, agricultural mechanization companies, input suppliers and industry on a revolving basis. "The methodology of the programme shall be to group small scale farmers who produce the bulk of the nation's food and the youth into co-operatives and make them the main vehicle towards achieving food sufficiency for the nation. "A PNC government will depoliticize the sale or supply of farm machinery to individuals and facilitate as well as encourage the establishment of plant pools of farm machinery by the private sector to provide prompt and timely services to farmers at approved rate," it said. According to the Manifesto, mechanization companies would plough the farms of the various cooperative groups and their accounts debited with the cost by the banks upon certification by agriculture extension officers. Under regulation and ownership, the PNC said through the Department of Co-operatives, the Ministry of Agriculture would organize small scale farmers and the youth into co-operatives.      It would acquire suitable farm lands, provide irrigation facilities, arrange mechanization services, guarantee loans from financial institutions, supply farm inputs, supervise application of inputs, monitor performance of farms from planting to harvesting and ensure prompt repayment of loans. "To further ensure that the nation achieved food sufficiency within the shortest possible time, our government shall acquire large tracts of lands and lease them to individuals, co-operate organizations, companies and investors who may wish to do large-scale farming. "Public servants and private individuals will be encouraged and assisted to do backyard farming, high yielding crop varieties and scientific methods of farming will be introduced to farmers to increase yields," it said. The PNC administration will aim at increasing cocoa production from the present one million metric tons to about 1.5 million metric tons within the first four years in office. "We shall achieve this by replanting all fallow cocoa farms, mass distribution of fertilizers, ensuring accessibility of chemicals by farmers, and effective measures to stop smuggling of cocoa, including moving cocoa depots away from boarders to curtail smuggling," it said. According to the Manifesto, more irrigation dams would be constructed across the country to enable all year round farming. It said: "To facilitate easy transportation of farm produce and people to urban areas, feeder roads linking all food production areas will be given high priority. A railway network to aid in transportation will be another priority of a PNC administration".  It said a PNC administration hoped to rehabilitate abandoned silos and build new ones to help improve food storage system, reduce post-harvest lost and provide food security during the lean periods, it said. "Our government, when given the nod, will review the existing fishing laws and block all loopholes that tend to put our fisher folks at a disadvantage. We shall also explore other ways of reviving and revamping the fishing industry. "In this direction, our administration will tackle and solve the perennial problem of non-availability of pre-mix fuels and other fishing inputs. "We will work closely with the Ghana National Association of Farmers and Fishermen to explore ways of assembling outboard motors and manufacturing fishing nets locally. "We will make fish farming a key module under the National Youth Employment programme to encourage the youth to engage in fish farming and initiate policy to make it a viable source of income," the Manifesto said. It said a PNC government would establish large plantations of sheanut trees, a sheanut marketing board will be established; expand and create more shea-butter factories to create more jobs for the youth and women in the Northern Region. Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the National Commission for Civic Education, titled "Election 2012: Matters of Concern to the Ghanaian Voter" obtained by the GNA, revealed that 48.2 per cent of respondent suggested the government should subsidize agriculture inputs. Another 21.1 per cent said government must give financial support to farmers in form of loans and scholarships for children of farmers to enable them to continue their education to the highest level whilst 8.1 per cent called on government to provide market for farmers and also fix prices of agriculture crops. About 7.3 per cent respondents called for mechanized farming, 5.3 per cent appealed for the provision of irrigation and access roads by government, 4.6 per cent wanted government to make farming attractive to the youth, 4.1 per cent called for the provision of storage facilities for agricultural products and 1.3 per cent suggested the reintroduction of state farms by government. GNA                                                                     NDC says it offers "better hope" for the future The Government has stated that after an objective comparative analysis of the manifestos of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) New Patriotic party (NPP) it becomes crystal clear that the ruling party has a superior and a more comprehensive agenda for Ghanaians. This coupled with the NDC's "unprecedented performance" in government explained why the Ghanaian electorate would place the future of Ghana in the hands of President John Mahama of the NDC, an official statement. The statement signed by Deputy Minister of Information, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, explained that the comparative analysis of the two manifestos was carried out in order to enrich the debate on the alternatives on offer to the Ghanaian electorate and also to deepen discussion on substantive issues of germane importance to the Ghanaian. Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa added that it could not be said that the two leading political parties were offering the same package to the electorate. "This analysis reveals that there are clear distinctions and approaches which form the fundamental basis for the choice of the electorate and not the parochial sectarian divisions which opponents of President Mahama are trying hard albeit without success to create." Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa said that the comparative analysis, which showed the NDC as the party with great original ideas and also possessing the ability to proffer pragmatic solutions and offer hope for the future, further confirmed the NDC as the obvious choice in this election. The following is the full text of key conclusions in the comparative analysis. " 1)      "The NPP Manifesto under its health agenda totally neglects traditional medicine unlike the NDC manifesto which has a clear programme for traditional medicine including supporting the establishment of the proposed School of Traditional Medicine at the University of Health and Allied Sciences. 2)      The NPP Manifesto ignores equity and makes no provision for Regional Hospitals unlike the NDC Manifesto which pledges to establish regional hospitals in the Eastern Region, Upper East Region and complete what has been started by the NDC in the Upper West Region.  This is aside several other district hospitals and polyclinics the NDC promises.  Though the NPP promises to seek assistance from the private sector to establish three first class hospitals in their manifesto, they make no commitments to the people of Ghana as to where they will be sited and what will happen if they fail to get the private sector support they are relying on. 3)      Whereas the NDC Manifesto speaks to doubling the number of Community Health Improvement Planning and Service (CHPS) Compounds from 1600 to 3,200 given that over 1,300 have been constructed over the last four years, the NPP Manifesto is silent on CHPS as well.  4)      The NPP Manifesto has no intervention for the National Ambulance Service neither do they make provision for the establishment of an Accident Evacuation Centre to save lives on our major highways like the NDC does in its Manifesto. 5)      The NPP has no plan to upgrade the Central and Volta Regional Hospitals into Teaching Hospitals to service the University of Cape Coast and the University of Health and Allied Sciences respectively as contained in the NDC Manifesto. 6)      After seeing to the collapse of Ghana Airways, the NPP makes no provision to restore our national pride.  To the contrary, the NDC Manifesto boldly makes a case for the re-emergence of a national carrier. 7)      The NPP manifesto makes no provision for a Youth Jobs and Entrepreneurs Development Fund for young entrepreneurs to have easy access to start-up capital but the NDC Manifesto does. 8)      The NPP manifesto outlines no programme to stimulate the private sector in order that the private sector is able to employ more Ghanaian youth as compared to the NDC Manifesto which makes a clear provision for a stimulus package. 9)       The NPP manifesto makes no provision to enhance the capacity and welfare of Ghanaian Media practitioners in its Manifesto unlike the NDC Manifesto which makes extensive provision for the welfare and capacity of the Media and the National Media Commission including the commitment to complete a permanent campus for the Ghana Institute of Journalism at Okponglo in Accra. 10)   The NPP Manifesto makes no provision for National Reconciliation and harmonious coexistence unlike the NDC Manifesto which provides for a framework for national reconciliation including President John Mahama's initiative to institute a quarterly meeting with all political party leaders. 11)   The NPP Manifesto makes no provision for universal access to Energy.  Only the NDC Manifesto pledges Energy for all by 2016. 12)   No programme in the NPP Manifesto to flush out foreigners who have invaded the small-scale mining sector since the sector is strictly reserved for Ghanaians like the NDC Manifesto does. 13)   No talk of a National Science Park in the NPP Manifesto whereas the NDC Manifesto pledges to construct 2 National Science Parks to spread the benefits of technology across Ghana. 14)   NPP Manifesto places no emphasis on early childhood and pre-kindergarten education considered very essential as the NDC Manifesto does. 15)   NPP manifesto says nothing about expanding the school feeding programme to achieve universal coverage unlike the NDC Manifesto which acknowledges the expansion in coverage from 600,000 children to over 1.4 million children over the last four years, the NDC Government commits to universal coverage to cover all public schools in rural and needy communities. 16)   NPP Manifesto says nothing about the Shift system the current government is seeking to abolish nationwide having succeeded in Accra unlike the NDC Manifesto 17)   No mention of regular reviews of the Capitation Grant as the NDC states in its Manifesto 18)   No attempt to address the many hidden costs at the basic level which has hampered free basic education as the NDC proposes to do 19)   No attempt to address universal access at the Senior High School level.  The NDC Manifesto pledges to achieve this by 2016 20)   NPP provides no specifics on expansion of new Senior High Schools to address the problem of access unlike the NDC which pledges to establish 200 Community Day Senior High Schools. 21)   Unlike the NDC manifesto which pledges to provide facilities in existing schools for students with disability, the NPP manifesto is silent on making our schools disability friendly. 22)   The NPP Manifesto seems to have no clear solution at addressing the acute teacher deficit unlike the NDC Manifesto which pledges to establish 10 additional Teacher Training Colleges. 23)   No special incentives for teachers in terms of incremental credits for Science, Technical and Vocational Teachers as the NDC manifesto provides. 24)   The NPP manifesto appears to ignore strategic tertiary institutions such as the Teacher Training Colleges, the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI) and the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) unlike the NDC manifesto which has specific interventions for each of these. 25)   The NPP manifesto doesn't outline any programme to provide computers for students unlike the NDC manifesto which promises 400,000 laptops for students. 26)   The NPP Manifesto fails to provide laptops for teachers unlike the NDC manifesto which makes provision for free laptops for teachers."       GNA                                         Vision impaired and the physically challenged have expressed worry about the disability unfriendliness of some polling stations and this makes it difficult for them to reach such areas to vote. This came out during a Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) organized by the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) for representatives of political parties, youth groups, and traditional authorities Assembly members, women and people with disabilities on Tuesday in Bolgatanga. Madam Gladys Waadi, staff of the Bolgatanga Resource Centre, said some schools which serve as polling stations had raised platforms, making it difficult for the physically challenged to access them. Madam Waadi, who is vision impaired, said the vision impaired voted with tartar ballot papers, specially made papers that will help them vote on their own without assistance.  However, the vision impaired still had difficulties in the positioning of the ballot papers and folding them correctly to avoid spoiling them with the ink. She said this was more pronounced with illiterate vision impaired because they sometimes sought assistance to vote and whoever offers such help could easily stamp on the candidate of their choice instead of the choice of the blind person. She said though education was on going on the use of the tartar by the vision impaired members, participation was low due to their inability to reach all colleagues. Mr Oscar Apemah , Municipal Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), assured them of the ECs pledge to make voting easier for such people.  The aim for the FGD was to gather information on the Biometric Voters Register and verification mechanisms, challenges faced by women and the disabled and how to promote tolerance and violent free elections. The findings of the FGDs were later presented at a community durbar as part of the research objectives to promote peace during the elections. Mr Avolim-Wini Sambilla, Municipal Director, NCCE, said the NCCE had strategically adopted several approaches such as workshops, seminar, symposia and this time a research through FGDs as a tool to gather information. He stated that the NCCE had also formed 70 education clubs in institutions of learning and some workplaces in the municipality with the aim to educate people on the constitution of Ghana as well human right issues. He thanked government for supporting the municipal office with a vehicle, computer and public address system to carry out its mandate. GNA