The Majority Leader of Parliament and Member of Parliament for Effutu, Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has chastised the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for allegedly failing to live up to the expectations of the people of Ghana.
During his speech at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) TESCON conference, Hon. Afenyo-Markin highlighted the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) various social intervention projects and contrasted their governance with that of the NDC.
He gave instances of policies put forth by previous President John Agyekum Kufuor, such as allowances for teachers and nursing students, free health insurance, and free maternity care.
However, he noted that when the NDC took power in 2008, they failed to implement their promised one-time premium on health insurance, citing financial difficulties, and even cancelled the teacher and nursing training allowances.
In contrast, Afenyo-Markin praised the current NPP government, led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for its numerous social interventions, including the implementation of free education, restoration of teacher and nursing training allowances, reduction of electricity tariffs, and introduction of more social programs than any previous government.
He urged members of the Tertiary Students Confederacy (TESCON) of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to boldly defend their party’s achievements, particularly the free education policy.
He encouraged TESCON members to confidently confront the Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on campus, particularly when they complain about the current economic situation.
He acknowledged that times are hard, but emphasized that the NPP government has done better than the NDC in terms of social interventions. He singled out the free education policy as a flagship program that should not be joked with.
Afenyo-Markin passionately noted that the most painful situation is for a student to excel academically, earning distinctions, but lacking the financial support to further their education. He implied that the free education policy has helped alleviate this pain for many students.
The Majority Leader’s charge to TESCON members is seen as a call to action, encouraging them to be ambassadors of the NPP’s achievements and to counter opposing views from NDC supporters on campus.
