Statement by NPP at the Ashanti Regional Consultative Forum

1 STATEMENT BY THE NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY Delivered by Kwadwo Afari Date: 13th August, 2015 Venue: Crystal Rose Hotel, Kumasi ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NPP is the only liberal party in Ghana. We believe in the free market. If you heard the earlier speaker, there have been several plans in Ghana. But what has gone into those plans, the prevailing wisdom, has not served us well. For 57 or 58 years, we have been using the same plan, the same ideas, the same everything to move on. We cannot do it. A time has come when we must change the ideas that have moved this country backwards. We are happy to be part of the long-term framework – and mind my word, framework – for national development. We believe that what we have is a framework, and that we the NPP will be part of the movement of the framework and not just passengers. We don’t want to be driven along as has been done before. We want to be part of the process, we want to challenge the ideas that have prevailed in this country for addressing our underdevelopment. There are better plans, there are better ideas, and they are based on the fact that the government and individuals should move together for development. We cannot leave the development of this country to the government alone. We must change our ideas, we must change the prevailing wisdom and then we can move ahead. We thank NDPC and we hope that it is going to be sincere in the consultations and that we will use every idea and I urge you the participants to challenge every idea. Somebody was talking about Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew changed the ideas, the way they should think and plan the country. Let’s challenge the ideas that we have, let’s come out with new ideas and new modes of thinking. Thank you very much.

REGIONAL CONSULTATION ON THE LONG-TERM NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN Statement by the NPP ©NDPC, 13th August 2015