REPORT ON FIFTH PEOPLES'S ASSEMBLY IN CAPE COAST ON 7TH FEBUARY,2006
REPORT ON FIFTH PEOPLES'S ASSEMBLY IN CAPE COAST ON 7TH FEBUARY,2006
OBJECTIVE OF MONITORING PROCESS.
1. To find out what exactly goes on at the people Assembly in order to make information comments
2. To analysed the peoples Assembly dubar
3. To a firm the meeting as people having acces to the presidency
4. To find out how participatory abd interactive the people assemble concept works.
THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH
Serious economic issues were raised by both president Kofour and some ghanaians who had the opportunity tonask the president questions. President Kufour said ghana was on the threshold of gaining economic progress because the economic was stabilizing on a firm foundation, despite high crude oil prices that continues to threaten the econmy, but government projects remained on course.
President Kufour said when his government assumed office in 2001 the G.D.P. was as low as 3.7 percent, but the gross Domestic Product (the total value of goods and services produced) had risen to 6 percent by the end of 2005. President Kufour said and I quote, "by growing at 6 percent per annum, it is not enough for the economy to take us to the middle income status that we all desire, for all ghanaians are praying for. we know we must move to over eight percent in order to achieve middle income status with $1,000 per capital incme". President Kufour concluded by saying that to achieve the over eight percent economy targets, the government would continue to focus on human resource and private sector development, good governmence, as will as infrastructure development.
PARTICIPATION
Participants came from all over the country and i can say for a fact the across section of the public were there right from the labourer to the professional,the active worker, to the retired worker, the blind, the deaf, the cripple and PLWD's all had the opportunity to put their issues at the door step of the president. Organised groups like the Civil society organisations (CSO) Non governmental Organisation (NGO) community based organisation (C.B.O) farmer based organisation (F.B.O) etc.
The fifth People's Assembly at cape coast recieved the best publicised in recent times, all radio stations in the central region run two weeks of promo to the day of the programme and it was effective considered the participation. Letters and invitations were sent to individuals and organised in statutory's, C.S.O. , C.B.O., F.B.O., and political parties as well. People had througed the centre for National culture at cape Coast early in the morning to put their various paetitions and questions before the prresident for addressing. As early as 8.00 a.m. the C.N.C. Auditorium was full to capacity and the security personal at work had hectic time to control the crowd, who had linedd up to enter the auditorium for the programme.
The programme took off at 10.00 a.m. and unlike the previous programmes where misnsters of state takes the centre stage in answering of questions, this one took a different time with president brillantly displaying knowledge on issues raised at the forum. He answered most of the questions from Agriculture, education to Trade, health, telecommunication through to economy among others. But the last minute power cut most almost marred to beauty of the programme, it could go down in histroy as one of the best organised in recent time.
ISSUES
The forum was also marked by a host of dramas and scenes after the president's speech. A man who claimed to be a retired driver, who had coverd from his blindness openly asked the president to provide financial support for him to start livestock farming.
The queenmother of Kotokoraba, Abora, Anafo and thursday market women association alledged that anytime paroblems are reported to the authorities, nobody listerns to them, she saaid Mr. President we have no one listern to us in this town even if you take it upon yourself to talk to them they won't listern to you, so today that we have got the opportunity to meet you, we ae pleading that you come to our aid. We have no authority in this town, since the president is a good listerner he will do his possible best to solve the problen that has confronted us over the years.
Perhaps, the most touching questions during the programme came from two disabled persons, a deaf and dumb person and a disabled person from cape Coast who talked about the need for parliament to pass the disability bill.
CONCLUSION
Apart from the presentation of the budget and the state of the Nation Address, the people's Assembly was one event which was veru dear to President Kufour. The fifth people's Assembly was moved out of Accra and held in historic city of Cape Coast for the first time, this was due ti the fact that participation from the grassroot is an integra part of the processs, thes were the words of Mr. Dan Botwe minister of Information.
Mr. Botwe said government takes the peolples Assembly very seriously and that the proceesings were documented for follow up actions, responses given by the president, other queries and responses which needed futher research were documented and necessary action takes on them later. In all about 90% of the issues raised were answered by the president immediately, while the remaining 10 percent recieved follow-up action.
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