Togbe Dadzawa III, Paramount Chief of Shia Traditional Area, has said Ghanaian politicians were the cause of the country's underdevelopment.
"Our politicians have made us poor," he said and added that politicians were only interested in amassing wealth for themselves and families and not the development of communities.
Togbe Dadzawa was speaking on Tuesday at a Town Hall Meeting organized by the Graphic Communications Group Limited in the Volta Region in Ho.
The Meeting was to provide political parties and stakeholders a platform at the regional level to discuss issues that matter to the people and give politicians opportunity to state their programmes.
It was on the theme, "Projecting the key issues for a peaceful election 2012."
Togbe Dadzawa said it was unfortunate that politicians only remember the route to communities when it was time for elections and abandon those routes after making promises to the people.
He said for instance, in his community, politicians had made several promises to the people but failed to honour them.
Togbe Dadzawa said but for the many self-initiated projects, the area would have been cut off from the rest of Ghana.
"Look, even the CEPS office at Shia was built by the community and given to government free of charge. I have to levy my people for many other projects," he said.
Togbe Dadzawa said it was time politicians renewed their commitment to the development of communities and desist from making the country and the people poorer.
He said he was for instance not comfortable with the proposed hike in pay to 7,200 cedis for Members of Parliament from about 3,000 cedis, saying high earnings was the attraction to parliament and not the desire to serve the people.
Mr John Tsrakasu, Volta Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, said it was unfortunate that politicians take credit for the hard work of public servants, yet were quick to blame them, should their (politicians) policies fail to work.
He said public servants were doing their best for the nation and urged politicians to commend their contribution to nation building.
Representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), New Patriotic Party (NPP), Progressive Peoples' Party (PPP) and Convention Peoples' Party (CPP) engaged in a debate on what the parties would do for the Volta region in the areas of agriculture, economy, education, health and infrastructure should they win the December polls.
Mr Richard Doe Agbenowosi, PPP Parliamentary Candidate for Hohoe-North, said his Party would establish an education police to enforce “free, compulsory but continued education of all children of school going age".
He said a PPP government would also abolish the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) and focus on adequate preparation of students for the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).
Mr Agbenowosi said his Party would promote cleaner environment to prevent diseases and save money for other sectors of the economy.
He said it would also re-introduce Sanitary Inspectors in all communities, to enhance cleaner communities and hygiene.
Mr Agbenowosi said his Party would support local entrepreneurs to improve the economy and embark upon massive irrigation projects.
Mr Kwasi Aboagye, Volta Regional Chairman of the NDC, said his Party had delivered almost all manifesto promises made in 2008.
He said the NDC would modernize and mechanize agriculture, invest in livestock farming and maintain single-digit inflation and an annual growth rate of eight per cent to give meaning to its "Better Ghana Agenda."
Mr Aboagye said the NDC would expand education infrastructure and ensure 100 per cent access to education by all children of school going age.
On health, he said, the Party would embark on "health for all agenda" and provide modern regional hospitals for all regions.
Madam Exornam Jemima Lorenz, North-Dayi Parliamentary Candidate for the CPP, said the 12 years of NDC and eight years of NPP were all characterized by "heavy borrowing," which is not good for the country's future, and promised an incorruptible government from the CPP.
he said the CPP would remove education disparities between rural and urban communities and enact legislations to regulate school fees.
Madam Lorenz said a CPP government would expand the National Health Insurance Scheme to cover all ailments and make it free for the aged and children.
Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh, Member of Parliament for Manhyia,former President Kufuor invested more in the Volta Region than other governments in the last 30 years.
He said at the moment, the country was near collapse, with failed structures, weak infrastructure and unreliable power.
Dr. Prempeh attributed the situation to leadership challenges and said the NPP would address the challenges and focus on how to improve livelihood of all Ghanaians.
He reiterated the NPP's commitment to offering free Senior High School education and said, "if NDC has money to build two new airports, we will use that money for the general good of our SHS students."
All the parties pledged to work towards successful and peaceful elections.