Alan Sets vision for 2012

Hot favourite in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential nomination, Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen on Tuesday set the Sege, Ada and Prampram townships alight with his infectious smile and pleasant personality.

Like a blazing fire, Alan’s visits were long anticipated by residents and indigenes of the three areas even before he touched base with NPP supporters and sympathizers, clad in party colours thronging in their numbers to welcome him.

Even non NPP members and supporters, who apparently are facing the crunch of the county’s harsh economic situation, could not help, but to join in the excitement with some of them openly expressing that with Alan as the NPP’s presidential candidate, they will surely switch their allegiance to the biggest opposition party in the 2012 election.

The women folk could not help but to confer amongst themselves the pleasant Alan personality, which to many of them, would make his occupancy of the country’s presidential seat a sight to admire and behold.

Alan obliged the tumultuous reception accorded him with a sense humility by stretching every sinew to get at old, and the young who wanted to shake his hands or exchange pleasantries with him.

“I did not know he is that humble. Look at the way he interacts freely with everybody that comes his way. He will make a good president”, Dede Matey, an excited lady who abandoned her goods at the Sege market soliloquized loudly.

She was among the many market women who abandoned their goods at the market to welcome Alan Kyerematen to his tour of the Sege area. Some oldies who could hardly walk still managed with the help of walking aid to catch a glimpse of Alan and his entourage.

The occasion forms part of Alan’s interaction with polling station and other executives of the NPP in the Greater Accra Region. The meeting which has so far taken him to the La Dadekotopon, Odododiodioo and Korley Clottey constituencies was part of Alan’s campaign to win the NPP presidential slot slated for late this year.

With their excitement increasing anytime Alan spoke at the mini-durbars that he addressed, it became obvious that he had touched on their most sensitive concern. And that was the National Health Insurance Scheme.

The scheme was one of the high points of the Kufuor administration where he served as a diplomat (Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States) and later as Minister of Trade and Industries. Alan gave firm assurance that under his administration the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) will see a marked improvement from what currently pertains under the NDC administration.

According to the presidential hopeful, his primary concern would be how to broaden the base of the NHIS to cover every Ghanaian.

In that regard, he assured that he would personally make sure that the NHIS was localized with improvement in local health posts and hospitals being resourced and equipped to cater for people living in a particular area.

That means people would not have to struggle to leave their areas of origin or localities and travel longer distances to access NHIS facilities that are currently restricted to regional and national hospitals.
In the estimation of Mr Kyerematen, it would be his priority to ensure that his health vision works by sourcing for funds for the projects and also encourage private participation in the scheme. He hoped the government and private partnership will ensure that the threshold is increased to enable every Ghanaian to be covered.

He believed the current system is not working properly because the implementers of the scheme – doctors are not properly resourced to have the desire to carry out such humanitarian national exercise, stressing the need for doctors to have all requisite facilities and resources made available through the scheme so that they can carry out the scheme with all efficiency, will and desire.

Alan was of the opinion that if there was enough funds for the scheme, no doctor will have problem treating every ailment because the scheme would not discriminate against any sickness.

He debunked the assertion that he resigned from the NPP, insisting that he protested against how people who were perceived to be loyal to his presidential cause were being threatened to the extent that in some cases it even affected the parliamentary ambitions of such people.

He insisted that it was due to the alarm he raised that stakeholders of the party, particularly, then President Kufuor intervened and called a meeting with elders of the party for the issue to be addressed amicably.

Some of the party stakeholders and supporters were shocked that Alan refused to contest the second round of the NPP presidential election when the first round results showed that Nana Akufo-Addo, who came first could not galvanize the requisite votes to win the NPP nomination at the first round.

Alan responded saying it was because he had the party at heart and that was why he did not insist on a second round with Nana Akufo-Addo after the first round and travelled with Nana Akufo-Addo throughout the country during the 2010 campaign.
He urged the polling station executives to stop the Alan Akufo-Addo arguments and discussions and concentrate on vigorous campaign to bring the NPP back into power, insisting that there was no problem between himself and the 2008 NPP presidential candidate.

Mr. Kyerematen therefore asked the polling station executives to start campaign to win the 2012 elections “from today by campaigning like Jehovah’s Witnesses”.