Did Mahama really admit he cannot fix a broken economy in 30 months?

I could not believe my ears listening to an audio clip on Oman FM on Thursday 18th October 2018 purported to be the excerpts of Ex-President Mahama’s interview with a certain debonair journalist in somewhere 2015.

In response to a question on Ghana’s unobjectionable economic collapse under his watch, Former President Mahama was heard vividly explaining to the interviewer that it was not possible for him to improve upon the economic fundamentals barely 2 and a half years into four year mandate (emphasis mine).

Wonders shall never end, they say. Well, if former President Mahama was not in a position to improve upon the economy in 30 months in office, why must he then expect Akufo-Addo to conjure magic and fix the massive economic mess he (Mahama) left behind in barely 22 months?

However hard the opposition NDC operatives would try to upbraid the incumbent NPP government over the economy, the fact remains that Ghana is heading towards a favourable economic growth.

The fact however remains that under Akufo-Addo’s presidency, Ghana’s economic growth has moved from a squeamish 3.6% in December 2016 to a favourable 8.5% and the hitherto double digit inflation (15.8 in December 2016) has been reduced drastically to around 9.8% as of October 2018.

Ghana under the erstwhile NDC administration, so to speak, experienced massive economic downslide which regrettably brought to pass harsh socio-economic standards of living.

The vast majority of unhappy Ghanaians, rightly so, voted against the NDC and Ex-President Mahama in the 2016 election largely due to the unresolved business crippling dumsor, the unpardonable incompetence and the wanton sleazes and corruption which brought untold hardships.

Thus, it is quite bizarre that the brassbound NDC faithful who are currently enjoying uninterrupted electricity, reductions in electricity tariffs, low inflation, tax reductions, favourable economic growth, gargantuan savings on free SHS, amongst others would have the temerity to censure the NPP administration.

In fact, some of us were extremely livid when former President Mahama out of meaningless benevolence doled out large portions of our scarce resources to inveterate NDC apologists like the founder of Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), Madam Akua Donkor, who in all honesty, contributed nothing meaningful towards Ghana’s wellbeing.

Ghana, to be quite honest, does not need a Father Christmas who would carelessly give away our hard earned resources. But Ghana rather needs a serious, a committed and a forward-thinking leader who can utilise our scarce resources judiciously to the benefit of all Ghanaians.

Suffice it to emphasise that a judicious distribution of national resources is the implementation of social interventions such as Free SHS.

It is, indeed, prudent and somewhat forward-thinking for any serious and committed leader to seek to bridge the ever widening social inequalities gap through rational distribution of national resources in the form of free SHS and other social interventions.

There is no doubt whatsoever that discerning Ghanaians were extremely concerned when out of unpardonable dereliction of duty and unbridled corruption, Ghana’s debt ballooned dramatically from GH9.5 billion in 2009 to an incredible GH122.4 billion as of December 2016.

Besides, discerning Ghanaians rightly ventilated their arousing disgust when the erstwhile NDC administration disastrously collapsed the social interventions such as the School Feeding Programme, the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Metro Mass Transit, the Free Maternal Care, SADA, GYEEDA amongst others.

No true Ghanaian should shrill and thrill over the GH800 million dubious judgment debt payments, including the GH51.2 million to Woyome which resulted in the drastic reduction of capital expenditure, and as a consequence, most contractors were not paid by the erstwhile NDC administration.

It is, therefore, worth stating that in spite of the seemingly insuperable odds, since assuming power, the Akufo-Addo’s government has taken commendable strides to improve the social mobility through implementation of poverty reduction policies such as free SHS, one district one factory, one million dollars per constituency, tax reductions, a dam per village in the northern part of Ghana, among others.

Obviously, individuals have different reasons for going into politics. Some people enter into politics for their unconditional love for their nation. Others just view power as an excellent opportunity to amass wealth and enjoy other trappings that come with the job.

It would however appear that some politicians do not care about the plight of the masses; they only scramble for power in order to pursue their vested interests.

I have always insisted that governance is a serious business and as such it requires forward thinking, serious and committed group of people to bring about the needed advancement.

Nevertheless, it has not been always the case in Ghana’s democratic ambiance. The emergence of multi-party democracy has given birth to both purposeful and maladaptive political parties.

And as a result, we have over the years been electing dreadful economic managers who cannot see their backsides from their elbows, and have only succeeded in sinking the economy deeper and deeper into the mire through corrupt practices.

Verily, the rampant corruption and the unobjectionable incompetence under the erstwhile NDC administration will long be stencilled on the mental sheets of succeeding generations.

K. Badu, UK.

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