The performance of the four flag-bearers of the political parties which have so far appeared at forums organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs (lEA) in Accra has attracted contrasting views from a section of Ghanaians and other stakeholders. Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Professor John Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Dr Edward Mahama of the People's National Convention (PNC) took turns to address the forum and answer questions from persons selected by the lEA to represent various interest groups in the country. While representatives of the various civil society groups commended the flag bearers for their commitment to the consolidation of democracy in the country, a section of Ghanaians randomly selected by the Daily Graphic said the presidential aspirants lacked clarity on the critical issue of job creation. Representatives of the civil society groups noted that although the aspirants did not fully address all the issues raised on the platform, their active participation in it was an indication of their resolve to help in the nation’s democratic dispensation. The General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, described the exercise as a good one, in view of the commitment by all the aspirants to participate in the encounter. He said the confidence exhibited by the aspirants and their brilliant performance were a demonstration of their commitment and capability to support efforts at consolidating democracy. He said, however, that there were a few areas that were not addressed, particularly how much the programmes outlined by the aspirants would cost and where they intended to get the funds to support the programmes they had outlined. "Although the aspirants spoke very well, there were some problematic areas that they must be more impressive about in terms of costing and where they will get the funds to support such programmes,” he said. Dr Sodzi-Tettey said the aspirants did not show definite commitment to solve the drug issue, while they failed to address the passage of the Mental Health Bill and gender issues, stressing that there was the need for them to show more commitment to those issues so that they could be held responsible for them. He also commended the media for their coverage of the programmes and urged them to focus on other political parties and not to concentrate on only the two major ones. The General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Ms Irene Duncan-Adanusa, said although the programme was a first-time one, it was a good one. She said the limitation was that a two-hour programme could not allow the aspirants to articulate all that they would do for the nation, adding that "this is a teaser for the media and civil society to follow up". The President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Mr Tony Oteng-Gyasi, said the AGI created its own platform at which it signed specific memoranda of understanding with the various aspirants on how they would deliver on their promises to Ghanaian industry. However, most of the people the Daily Graphic spoke to on the streets of Accra intimated that firm assurances on how to deal with the large army of unemployed youth in the country's major capitals would be a crucial factor in determining whom they would vote for or whether they would vote at all in the December 7 polls. According to them, on all the public platforms mounted so far, including that of the lEA, none of the aspirants had given any clear indications on the definite policy measures that would transform their dreams and aspirations into reality. Mr Ernest Gyabaah Yeboah, a polytechnic graduate who has not had a regular job since he graduated three years ago, bemoaned the rise in the number of employment agencies which, he said, had not helped the cause of the unemployed in the country. He said those agencies were ripping off desperate youth in search of employment, to the extent that the agencies took a chunk of the workers' salaries and left them with a pittance. That, he said, was the case because present and past governments had not put in place policies that would ensure that fresh graduates and skilled people had good jobs, adding that the youth would go for the candidate who could articulate policies that would effectively reverse the trend. A street hawker, Kwabena Antwi, said although he had attained basic formal education it was difficult for him to get a job that paid well, hence his recourse to the street. He said the next President must demonstrate that he had street hawkers and the unemployed at heart by outlining concrete measures that would deal with their present predicament. Mr Elonn Desewu, a student of the University of Ghana, Legon, wants the next government to come up with a comprehensive policy towards addressing the problem of unemployment in the country. He said there must be various policies for those who dropped out of school at the basic secondary and tertiary levels stressing that it was only when those categories had been identified that appropriate solutions could be found to the unemployment problem. Source: Daily Graphic