Founder and presidential candidate of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Percival Kofi Akpaloo, has reacted to the manifesto launch by the new Patriotic Party (NPP).
The candidate says it is not enough for politicians to disclose their vision without attaching the cost.
Mr. Akpaloo said the most appropriate thing to do is for political parties to cost their policies and initiatives, so it would be much easier to hold them to account.
Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he stated that it was about time for political parties to consider the cost of each policy in their manifestos.
‘’ How do you measure these policies and the parties when they win power and finish their term? We need to lift the game a little bit and give metrics to our promises. When designing manifesto promises, you need to cost the policies. If you have promised to construct stadiums, how much will each stadium cost the nation? What type of stadium are we talking about? What would be the capacity? You will need to disclose the cost of all your policies. It is not enough to just state the policies. We need to move away from this level of politics and cost all policies and initiatives so Ghanaians will hold us to account. If you have promised to roll out a flat tax rate system, how much will it cost, and what would be the benefit to the nation?’’
He has therefore challenged journalists to demand these answers to ensure that we know what these policies will cost the taxpayer and if they would be financially prudent.
Mr. Akpaloo noted that the LPG has added costs to each of its policies, including the child support initiative and the unemployed initiative, among other policies.
He said the Ghc500 child support initiative will cost Ghana Ghc7.5 billion every month.
‘’When you read our manifesto, you will see the cost of each of our policies. We don’t just make promises; we also tell Ghanaians how much these policies will cost.’’
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana