Prez. Mahama presented untruths, half-truths and embellished truths – NPP

“The President presented palpable untruths, half-truths and embellished truths…It was a tragedy of a presentation”

Minority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu made the remark above while giving his take on President John Mahama’s State of the Nation Address on Thursday, February 25, 2016.

Addressing the media after the President’s three-hour address, the Minority leader said the President refused to paint the true state of the nation.

According to him, “there are three measures of assessing any State of the Nation Address. First of all the president is obligated under Article 67 of our constitution to present to the people of this country through the House of Parliament the State of the Nation Address. Article 34(2) provides us with some window about what to expect in a State of a Nation Address. So, that is the first measure that one uses to assess the presentation…the second one is the health of the economy. The third one: the right to work and the right to employment. How many people are employed in this country? Of course, we do know that employment is predicated on agriculture and industry. What is the state of agriculture in this country? What is the state of industry, especially the manufacturing industry, in this country?”

Economy

On the economy, the minority leader said “by every yardstick our country is not doing well”. This is contrary to President Mahama’s assertion that the economy is back on a sound footing.

“What is the state of the economy? He pushed it to the background because one thought that advancing the course of this country will be predicated on the economy: solid economy by every yard stick, GDP growth rate, interest rates, inflation, the strength of the currency” Hon Osei Kyei Mensa Bonsu added.

Roads

Speaking to roads and other developmental projects, the minority leader said the President decided to “dwell on development occasioned in his view by infrastructural development…he focused on road consturction on which he spent more minutes than the total kilometres he had been able to add…under President Mahama, he spent $1.9 billion to do only 740km of roads. That is a shame”