Avoiding Mahama’s Economic and Political Failures

JJ, JM DIVORCED

-To Pave Way for NDP’s Resurrection

Whereas many in the National Democratic Congress and Ghanaians at large believed former President Jerry John Rawlings was politically spoon-feeding and remote-controlling President John Dramani Mahama and his government, the NDC founder has finally broken his silence, and for the first time denied any association with the present administration.

In his usual adroit political antics, Jerry John Rawlings began distancing himself from the visible economic and political failures of President Mahama after what many see as initial romance with the Mahama administration.

With the precipitous fall of the Cedi, the local currency and the general deterioration of the economic fundamentals, President Rawlings is sounding the alarm bells of the end of political flirtation and possible divorce with President Mahama.

This is to pave the way for the resurrection of the hitherto hibernating National Democratic Party (NDP), a party founded by former first lady and wife of former President Rawlings, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings; in time for the 2016 election.

In a first salvo, former President Jerry John Rawlings took the fight to the President’s appointees suggesting that a large number of ministers in the John Mahama Administration are incompetent and must be reshuffled immediately.

He advised Ghanaians particularly, members of the ruling NDC party spreading rumors that he (Rawlings) is holding unto some decisions of the President, to rather directly hold President Mahama responsible for ills the country finds itself in today.

Mr. Rawlings, who spoke to Joy News on Thursday, demanded for a reshuffle because, according to him, Ghanaians have had enough of these President Mahama’s appointees.

The change in ministerial appointment according to the former president should have been done at the end of 2013.

But, in a quick but sharp riposte, the Mahama administration dismissed the call for ministerial reshuffle describing it as “an elementary political tactic” by rumour-mongers.

It is still unclear if the NDC founder would stick to his marriage vows, stay in opposition with his wife and use the ye-to-be-resuscitated National Democratic Party to hound the Mahama government as he did to the Mills’ administration or trace his way back to the party he founded in 1992, after fruitlessly trumpeting it’s exit from office in the last election.

Mr. Rawlings, who also confirmed how he relished being touted as President Mahama’s guardian angel, though, he like others within and outside the NDC party say they don’t have access to him (president) finally let the cat out: “Yes I am not unaware of the occasional misuse of my name by elements in the party and government to cover up their own weaknesses…

Continuing, he said “No such list has come to my office. And let me assure you, if such lists were to come to my office it would take no longer than thirty minutes on my table because all I would have to do is tick, cancel out or put a question mark to any such suggested names. And send it right back to where it would have come from.”

However, the government in an immediate rebuff to Mr Rawlings’ comments, also provided credence that the hitherto dalliance between the John Mahama administration and the NDC party founder may be over.

A government statement signed by Information and Media Relations Minister, Mahama Ayariga said the reports of the ministerial reshuffle and the supposed existence of a possible list of hands to be reshuffled are merely “designed to stay the hand of the President assuming he plans to undertake a reshuffle, or to stampede his Excellency into carrying out a reshuffle, if he intends otherwise.”

The statement said the government will not be distracted from taking stringent steps to arrest the depreciating cedi and to stabilize the economy.

“If at any-time his Excellency the President decides to reshuffle his cabinet, his decision will neither be influenced nor clouded by such reports but will be done through sound judgment and a careful consideration of the resources at his disposal,” the statement said.

And as if by design, at the time Mr. Rawlings came out announcing to the whole world his non-involvement in the Mahama government, his soul mate and wife of 37 years, Nana Konadu was busily reviving her moribund NDP in Kumasi.

Indeed, Konadu and remnant members of her NDP were in Kumasi, the Ashanti regional capital over the weekend attending to what they billed ‘the NDP regional congress’, and used the occasion to lampoon the ruling NDC.

Adding fire into an already incendiary political situation, Mr Josiah Ayeh, former General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and National Chairman of the National Democratic Party (NDP) pinned the blame of the country's current economic woes on what he described as "thieves" hired by president Mahama to fill critical positions in government.

According to Dr. Josiah Aryeh, the situation has denied Ghana of good leaders who can change the fortunes of the nation for the better. “…we end up in a situation and the condition of real leaderlessness; yes indeed we are leaderless.

"I compare certain people [in government]...to a gang of thieves; they go stealing in the night" and "keep the booty to themselves," Dr. Aryeh told supporters at the party's regional delegate’s congress held in Kumasi, Saturday.

Prior to the Kumasi event and as part of the rebuilding of the NDP, Nana Konadu had dispatched a number of motorbikes to the Northern part of the country to revive the defunct ‘Friends of Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings’ (FONKAR), a political pressure group championing her cause.

The government had earlier to this, sensing a possible Nana Konadu 2016 come back, which is said to have informed her recent scathing criticism of policies of the Mahama administration, served notice to the former first lady that she would henceforth be treated just as any other opposition leader.

In what could best be described as a resurrection of the bitter resentment of FONKAR-GAME between the NDC and NDP, both parties have begun breathing on each other’s shoulders to stage another political tug- of-war akin to what was experienced in the run up to the 2012 elections.

Demarcating the battle lines ahead of the 2016 elections, both parties have begun shouldering themselves and trading words in the media to prepare a turf for another fierce and antagonistic campaign.

Already, the leader of the NDP, Nana KonaduAgyemang Rawlings has begun throwing jabs at the NDC, on whose wings she became first lady, for the prevailing high cost of living and economic hardship.

Nana Konadu told delegates at the NDP Kumasi congress that almost every Ghanaian is suffering and instead of the government reflecting on the situation and find solutions to it, the few who comment on it are insulted and condemned.

But, sounding a note of caution, a deputy Information and Media Relations Minister, Murtala Mohammed warned the former first lady that she is no longer a member of the ruling party therefore her criticisms of government would receive the needed and corresponding response.

Speaking on Asempa Fm’s afternoon political talk show, the Nanton Member of Parliament stated “Nana Konadu formed her political party; she is not a member of the NDC and so we will treat her like anybody in opposition. Those hypocrites in NDC must know that,” he stressed.

Mrs. Rawlings earlier at a public lecture expressed worry about the continuous increase in taxes in the country. She argued that the imposition of too many taxes in a developing country like Ghana could have serious repercussions on the private sector and discouraged further investments.

But the Deputy Minister scoffed at Nana Konadu’s economic analysis, describing it as “funny and interesting”.

Members of the NDP, who deem Murtala’s comment as an attack on the integrity of the former first lady, called on President John Mahama to sanction him.

The Nanton MP won’t have any of that “Maybe they don’t know Murtala; I will never be cowed into submission. I will express my conviction on any issue any day, anywhere and under any circumstance. They can feel displeased with it; I will speak my mind because the democracy allows us to do so”.

Responding further to Konadu’s apostles who have called for his head in a manner that many said was sanctioned by President Mahama and some NDC bigwigs, Murtala Mohammed said the former first lady just like the president, is not beyond criticism so “if Nana Konadu can criticize the president, why can't I?”.

Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings broke away from the NDC to lead the NDP after a fruitless attempt at the NDC’s Sunyani congress to dislodge the then President John Evans Atta Mills.

Feeling humiliated for the heavy thrashing at congress, the former first lady staged a campaign on the wings of the NDP to contest the 2012 elections in order to deny the NDC the Presidency which he failed.

Prior to this, she used FONKAR, a political pressure group to castigate late President Mills, Vice president Mahama and the NDC government for allegedly moving away from the ideals of the NDC.

Though she initially denied her association with the group, Nana Konadu latter blessed the group and used its members as a conduit to enhance her presidential ambitions.

The group became dormant after the death of late President Mills as a result of which leading members reverted back to the NDC and endorsed President Mahama ahead of Nana Konadu.

But recent media reports suggest that the NDP leader, as part of plans to rebrand the party and positioned it for the next elections, has begun extending olive branch to members of FONKAR and has even recently sent motorbikes to its members up North to begin warming the grounds ahead of 2016.