Some participants who attended the recently held government for the people forum in Kumasi have expressed surprise at the Ashanti Regional Minister, John Alexander Ackon for turning the public forum by the communications ministry as campaign grounds for the ruling National Democratic Congress,(NDC).
Mr Adu Gyamfi, a spare parts dealer at Bantama was livid about the late start of the program.
He said despite the minister being late to the function after giving them 8:00am to be present, Mr Ackon and the Deputy Communications Minister, Ato Sarpong who arrived some few minutes after 11am rather took turns to spew propaganda at participants.
What was more worrying, Mr Gyamfi noted was the way the Ministers discounted the late start of the program with no single apology or whatsoever.
Mrs Asabea Mansa, a trader at Asuyeboa who expressed similar sentiments said the two ministers displayed disrespect to those who came on time.
She was however, more surprised at the Deputy Health Minister, Dr Victor Bampoe who she accused of taking the podium to propagate ways the government was using to win the upcoming elections.
ARTIFICIAL FIGURES:
Mrs Mansa posited the Deputy minister quoted abstract figures to buttress the point that government was helping to get healthcare to the people.
”How can you mention the provision of hospital beds as a way government was using to give care whereas the Health Insurance Scheme which is supposed to be used to access care is collapsing”, Mrs. Mansa slammed.
Another worried retired eductionist, Mr Afryie Mensah, wondered why the Deputy Health Minister shied away from disclosing measures the government was putting up to address the collapsing National Health Insurance Scheme in hospitals.
He said, Dr Bampoe rather narrated how the hospitals under construction in Fomena, Afari, Bekwai and others in the Ashanti Region would help in getting care for residents.
”How can you boast about the provision of several CHP compounds and claim it had vastly reduced maternal deaths”, Mr Afriyie noted in anger.
He insisted government had not taken the health needs of the public as a priority.
He urged government communicators to stop the propaganda it was churning out on radio and allow the Health ministry to do everything possible to provide affordable and reliable care to the needy.
PROPAGANDA:
One hair dresser, Madam Akua Donkor wondered why the Deputy Information Mininster, Ato Sarpong who was doubling as the master of ceremony at the public function throughout the programme forcefully solicited applause for government.
Brandishing the Accounting to the People book by the NDC at the public gathering, Mr Sarpong incessantly clamored for the retention of the president, John Mahama for another four years, an issue Madam Donkor found strange.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, she accused seemed to be wearing full party lenses when he posited government had completed several projects in the Ashanti Region.
These, he mentioned included 868 classroom blocks, 23 dormitories, 13 hostels, 20 assembly halls, 58 teachers bungalows, 13 dining halls, 14 ICT centers among others.
AGENDA:
Having couched the wording of the document which invited the media as an interaction between the government and the public, some media practitioners wondered why NDC sympathizers who were bused to the venue rather took to the microphones to shower praises on government.
Being the fourth one held in the series of the countrywide program, some participants who had questions to ask including the media were later told to write their questions down and submit it later for answers. A radio reporter from Ultimate Fm said he had wanted to ask the Ministers the stage at which the six community Senior High Schools the president promised the Ashanti
Region had reached.
He wondered why organizers rather gave party faithful the opportunity to sing praises, but had surprisingly, cut short the question time when it had reached the turn of distressed people.
