The Telford (UK) branch chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress, (NDC), Mr Ken Johnson has said the government’s proposal to assist the youth in securing rental accommodation is another scheme aimed at swindling voters for this years elections.
According to Mr Ken Johnson, the NPP government clearly has more explanations to give with regards to the National Rental Assistance Scheme. This is because the policy is too cloudy and shrouded in ambiguity. The government continues to perceive the Ghanaian youth as very vulnerable voters who will buy into any fanciful ideas without really subjecting such ideas to full scrutiny.
He said although the Akuffo Addo government have failed miserably on their 2016 manifesto promises. The good people of Ghana cannot be swindled again by the NPP in this forthcoming elections with slogans and untested policies.
Whilst the youth continue to face hardships under the Akuffo Addo government, the NRAS policy as shown on the page 157 of their manifesto fails to highlight who actually qualifies for rental assistance. Some of the obvious challenges remains the undefined interest which the subscribers will pay and what has been described as identifiable and regular incomes.
Mr Johnson said, it was not true that the policy was for the youth as has been reported by some media houses. He added that without landlords signing up to the scheme the prospective tenant couldn’t benefit from the scheme.
“If you want to live in a particular house and the landlord or lady is not signed up on the government scheme, then it means the policy can’t work for you”, he emphasised.
Mr Johnson said, “the next NDC Government will work to end the crisis of access and cost of securing affordable land for residential or business purposes. He said the good people of Ghana want to see real solutions to their problems not slogans and untested ideas.
He indicated that the NPP actually stole the original idea of rental assistance from the National Democratic Congress manifesto. But, because it is not their idea they will struggle to defend it, he added.
He said, “in consistent with our 2016 Manifesto promise, the next John Mahama administration will establish a low-interest Rent Advance Scheme in partnership with financial institutions/banks holding for both formal and informal sector workers with regular incomes; and also establish a regulatory body to set and enforce standards management, quality control and capacity development in the built environment”.
Currently in Ghana, there is no such body representing the Ghanaian landlord, but Ghanamatters.com, checks have revealed that most landlords in the capital, Accra are antipathy to the scheme as being touted by the NPP.
The landlords who spoke to Ghanamatters.com, believe the policy will be an avenue for the NPP government to charge unwarranted taxes from source should they sign up the scheme. They argued that the NDC’s offer was more credible to them.
See excerpt of page 157 of the NPP manifesto below.
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Source: Ghanamatters.com
