Former President and flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has incurred the wrath of an outspoken member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Patrick Kwarteng Sarpong, following a recent update in the party's 2020 manifesto.

The NDC on Tuesday, December 1, 2020, formally announced its decision to introduce free tertiary education in the country dubbed, “Fa Ninyinaa”, when voted into power.

The National Chairman, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo in a statement disclosed the party's decision to update the manifesto follows a recommendation made by their Education Policy Group.

Already, it has been captured in the People's Manifesto that the NDC in its next administration will absorb 50% of school fees of all tertiary students in the country through the “Kyemupe” policy, but Comrade Ampofo explained that will now apply to only continuing students whereas those who would be admitted in the 2020/2021 academic year will pay no fees under the “Fa Ninyinaa” policy.

“This policy is an enhancement of our commitment in the People's Manifesto to absorb 50% of the school fees of all tertiary students for the 2020/2021 academic year through the ‘Kyemupe’ policy, which will now apply to only continuing students in tertiary institutions in the country,” he said in portions of the statement.

But, reacting to this on Facebook, P.K. Sarpong as he is affectionately called, described as “strange” the NDC's U-turn.

He said the leadership of the NDC has shown loudly that they will not stick to the policies in their manifesto as when voted into power as according to him, only a few individuals in the party's headquarters updated the document they claimed was produced from the masses.

“First of all, the People’s Manifesto, the very document they claim was produced from the masses themselves is being changed by a few people at the party’s headquarters. The name, the People’s Manifesto, has lost steam since it no longer belongs to the masses.” He wrote on Facebook.

P.K. could not fathom why the “Kyemupe” would be changed into something else all of a sudden when the party has not yet even won power.

“As grotesque as this move may sound, it dovetails into the narrative that John Mahama is a flip-flop of the century. Inconsistency is the hallmark of John Mahama.” He jabbed.

He said “inconsistent” John Mahama has flip-flopped on a number of issues and therefore ought to be rejected come December 7th.

To P.K., the NDC candidate “finds his own manifesto be a useless document”.

Read his full analysis below:

MAHAMA FINDS HIS OWN MANIFESTO TO BE A USELESS DOCUMENT

I was numbed with trepidation and disbelief when I first saw the press release from Ofosu Ampofo that sought to alter the Kyemupe idea in their manifesto to one of Fa Ninyinaa!

My consternation arose from the fact that the idea in the manifesto is not even in its embryonic stage since the party hasn’t won power to experientially roll out the policy.

First of all, the People’s Manifesto, the very document they claim was produced from the masses themselves is being changed by a few people at the party’s headquarters. The name, the People’s Manifesto, has lost steam since it no longer belongs to the masses.

What is of a great worry about this whole melodrama is the fact that there hasn’t been an opportunity to test the efficacy of the Kyemupe proposition and it’s been changed.

As grotesque as this move may sound, it dovetails into the narrative that John Mahama is a flip-flop of the century. Inconsistency is the hallmark of John Mahama.

This is more comedic than problematic in certain respects. It tells you that the NDC did not think through the policy alternatives they captured in their manifesto.

Whatever ideas that popped into their minds found themselves in their manifesto and named the People’s Manifesto.

Since they have been able to make such a strange U-turn, it tells you that whatever is found in the manifesto would be a white elephant since they have shown loudly that they would not stick to the policies in the document.

They will abandon the manifesto and its contents if voted for. They cannot go by their own ideas in their manifesto. Let’s reject these confused lots!

P.K. Sarpong, Whispers from the Corridors of the Thinking Place.