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Ghana: MASLOC, NYEP Must Not Be Politicized
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Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra)
EDITORIAL
26 March 2008
Posted to the web 26 March 2008
Ever since the Micro-finance and Small Loans Center (MASLOC) was set up to help small scale business entrepreneurs operate effectively, there have been several reports alleging that card bearing members of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP) were being given priority attention in the disbursement of the loan. When these allegations reached a crescendo, operators of the scheme came out to deny the claim.
Barely some few months after the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) was established to help give employment to the youth of this country; similar allegations have started to rear its ugly head again. NYEP job seekers in the Kintampo district are accusing officials of allegedly giving prompt attention to NPP card bearing applicants to the neglect of those who have no affiliation to the ruling party.
At a small-scale business seminar held in Sunyani recently, an entrepreneur in bee-keeping from Berekum, Nii Kwei, alleged that though he had applied for loans from MASLOC secretariat to expand his bee-keeping business, officials have turned death ears to him, but at the same time giving out the loan to NPP members or those who have identified themselves with the party.
So far Chronicle has not gotten any concrete evidence to support this allegation, but assuming without accepting that what Nii Kwei and the Kintampo youth are saying is true, then we think the government which set up these two initiatives is in breach of the laws of this country. This is because the government has not come out to clearly state that the money it is using to finance the two initiatives comes from the Party's coffers, and therefore making their members the sole beneficiaries.
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If the programmes are being sponsored by the state and from the taxes paid by Ghanaians, then every Ghanaian, irrespective of his or her political affiliation has the right to enjoy its benefits, provided the person is able to meet the basic criteria set for the scheme. After practicing democracy for almost sixteen years now, Chronicle thinks the country has come of age to discard some of these old fashioned politicking.
The fact that the previous government may have put up similar attitude of giving priority to its members when it comes to disbursement of national resources, does not mean that a good precedence has been set for the succeeding government to follow. Whether the applicant is a member of NPP, NDC, CPP, PNC or any of the political parties in the country, there should be an equitable, free and fair treatment to all concerned. What is importantt is that the applicant is a Ghanaian who also pays tax for the development of the country and therefore entitled to equally benefit from anything coming from the state.
It is the hope of The Chronicle that the ministries that have oversight responsibility of both MASLOC and NYEP would delve into the issue and also talk to their officials to stop the politicization of the scheme, if it really exists, in the interest of the country. We also suggest that the administration of some of these programmes should not be tainted by appointing only hard-core party members to man them.
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