In an exchange on Peace FM's Kokrokoo on April 24, 2023, the Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, and Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye, a medical doctor and Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority, engaged in a heated debate over the policies of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice President of Ghana.
During the discussion, the NHIA boss asserted that Dr. Bawumia, who is reportedly showing interest in the NPP presidential primaries, should present his policies to the Ghanaian people so that they can know what he plans to do differently from the current administration led by President Nana Akufo-Addo. Dr. Boye argued that as Vice President, Dr. Bawumia is not entirely in charge of the administration and, therefore, must outline his plans to the public.
However, Kwesi Pratt took issue with Dr. Okoe Boye's argument, claiming that it was unfair to President Akufo-Addo.
According to Pratt, if Dr. Okoe Boye suggests that Dr. Bawumia is not in charge and must present his policies, it means that any problems in the government are being shifted solely to the president.
Pratt added that as the Vice President, Dr. Bawumia had been a part of the administration and could potentially continue with the government policies if elected as the next president.
Find excerpts of the conversation below
Okoe Boye: It is better to know what a politician claims he or she will do and have him or her not even do it than not to have an idea of what they have promised to do for you.
Kwesi Pratt: Now that you want to listen to Bawumia's promise, Alhaji Bawumia's promises that he has made in Ghana, now that you want to listen to his promises
Okoe Boye: Senior, you will understand where I am coming from.
Pratt: Okay
Okoe Boye: President Akufo-Addo, from 2008, in fact, from 2012, he said that when he comes, secondary education will be paid for by the government; it should not be paid for by parents.
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to be fair to him, you know if you are vice president... in fact, the title he holds, if you translate directly, he is the vice president. Is he the one giving Nana instructions? No
Pratt: So, you are saying that if there are problems, it is not Bawumia?
Okoe Boye: No, I have not said so…what I am saying is that if you are deputy commander, you will assist your commander to achieve his aim; that is all that I am saying.
And if you say you want to be commander, it is not automatic that whatever your commander was doing is 100% for you and that you will come and do it.
Pratt: That is the point that I want you to explain because I don't understand.
Okoe Boye: How senior Pratt is doing shows that if you don't understand, it would be better than understanding it.
The point I'm making is very simple, that to be a vice president is not the same as president. Whatever role he has played, now Bawumia says I want to lead the party and this country...
Pratt: And I'm going to do something different from what the Akufo-Addo government has done?
Okoe Boye: No, no, no…senior Pratt, don't talk for me; tell us whether what you want to do is full complement of what President Akufo-Addo was doing or 70% of what he was doing, plus some 30% we have never heard of. Tell me what is in your mind is a fair request.
Pratt: I think you people are being very unfair to Nana Akufo-Addo; you are being unfair to Nana Akufo-Addo because of what you people are doing; it seems he (Bawumia) is coming to do something extraordinary more than what Nana Addo has done.
If you people are coming to do something different from what Nana Addo has done, tell us; if what Nana Addo came to do didn't go on well, but you have a better way of doing it, then you tell us. It is also possible that when someone becomes president, what the previous one did, is the same that he/she will continue. So, he should come and tell us whether he is coming to do the same things Nana Addo did or differently. But if he is coming up with different policies, then there are big issues indeed.
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