Development in Freedom: The people's introspection

The Post Elections Political Drama and the immediate threat to the peace and security of Ghana evoke searching questions on how the ruling party managed the people's goodwill obtained in 2016. The New Patriotic Party's (NPP's) plummeting performance at the 2020 Elections calls for introspection by Party Loyalists and Leaders at all levels. Many poll observers in Ghana favoured the ruling NPP to win the 2020 elections convincingly. Not only that but also many NPP faithful's believed history was on the side of their Party since they defeated the National Democratic Party (NDC) with good margins in both the parliamentary and presidential elections in 2016. President Nana Addo won with 53.9 per cent ahead of Mr Mahama (the Former President) in 2016. The NPP had an overwhelming majority in Parliament with 169 seats which was, by far, a more comfortable lead. Finally, in 2020, NPP manages an almost boring 6,730,587 votes representing 51.3 per cent of total valid votes (13,119,460) cast. The vote difference between Nana Addo and the 'lame horse rider' was 517,405 votes, far lower than the 984,570 vote difference garnered in 2016. The NPP also lost over 30 Parliamentary seats to the NDC. The NPP's performance leaves Ghana with a possibility of a hung Parliament in the 8th Parliament of the Fourth Republic.

Our Goodwill and our Hopes

The Government of Nana Addo started well and held much promise for Ghana. The administration carried the hopes and aspirations of many Ghanaians. The Nana Addo brand was positioned and known to be incorruptible, fair and firm. A dreamer with a fair vision of how to transform and build the new Ghana. Addo' Show-Boy' had the right taste, style and swag to lead the building of the "Dream Ghana". Many Ghanaians believed in the Government's ability to execute transformational projects such as the Free Senior High School (FSHS), Railway connection from the South to the North, and revitalisation of the industrial sector among many others. Progress on the 2016 manifesto promises and the Government's performance between 2017 and 2020 is a reflection of the people's verdict from the 2020 poll results.

The Early Warnings and Vigilantism

Before the Government could hit the ground running, the opposition NDC cited Nana Addo for plagiarising speeches during his inaugural address to the nation. The Government subsequently issued an apology. The transition was fraught with many challenges, including acrimonious seizure of public toilets, private and state properties. Vigilantism gained currency under the Nana Addo Government and held the nation spellbound. The apex of the party vigilante impunity was the release of hoodlums from lawful custody in Kumasi in April 2017. The national capital was turned into a theatre for an action movie in January 2019 during a bi-election at Ayawaso West Wagon (AWW). The AWW Commission of Enquiry, identified some of the perpetrators to be known members of the NPP vigilante groups absorbed into the 'National Security'.

The Scandals and Controversies

The privileged many who served in the Nana Addo government did not spare us from the dangerous social phenomenon of corruption. Highlights of the administration's scandals and controversies included the Australia 2018 Visa Saga (21st Commonwealth Games), the Seat for Cash Story, the Kelni-GVG Saga, the BOST Contaminated Fuel Saga, the AMERI Deal, the PDS Management Contract Humiliation, the Galamsey Debacle, the GHS 2billion Missing Oil Revenue, the Auditor General Brouhaha and the Agyapa Royalty Deal which got the Special Prosecutor talking and eventually resigning.

Management of the Oversize Government

The administration had 110 Ministers as well as weighty support and administrative staff that draw salaries and other perks from the consolidated fund. The size of the NPP government was unheard of for a population of 30 million people and a significant concern for many Ghanaians. Not only that there was duplicity of roles and lack of clarity of roles and responsibilities for some of the Ministries created. Many calls to downsize the Government, reshuffle and replace non-performing Ministers fell on deaf ears. Many non-performing Ministers kept their jobs for the four-year tenure of the administration.

How Ghana was Served from 2017 - 2020

The management of many of the controversies and scandals were legalistic and did not meet 'the reasonable man test'. The President's approach of dismissing corruption scandals earned him the nickname the 'Clearing Agent'. The opulence of government appointees was almost unbearable for many Ghanaians. The party communication team took on a character of its own. They blatantly defended every Government controversy and scandal and assumed an arrogant and abusive posture. Furthermore, there was a growing phenomenon where media owners in the party hijacked their radio and television stations to insult and denigrate party and opposition members they disagree with. The winner takes all politics was given meaning in the Nana Addo administration. There were intraparty and opposition accusations of the President's family and tribesmen occupying key positions in Government. The administration received a barrage of accusations for running what was termed 'family and friends' Government. Some Appointees were very insensitive in their engagements and utterances about minority groups. There was a lack of inclusion in Government and respect for some minority groups. The perceived persecution and alienation of some tribes by the administration led to heightened secessionist activities in the Volta Region before the start of the 2020 elections.

The Poor Showing at the 2020 Elections

How and why did the NPP forget itself? Why was the NPP not paying attention to the concerns of the people? More intriguing is how the NDC got back into the fray for the 2020 elections? It was shocking to many that the electioneering campaign message got down to who was more corrupt. The Nana Addo administration rivalling NDC for a trophy on who is more corrupt was news and debilitating for many NPP sympathisers. The administration which was anti loans in 2016 became famous for borrowing more than all successive governments. After borrowing approximately $140 billion, the administration had limited the corresponding infrastructure to show, and they lost the infrastructure debate. FSHS became the retort to every query on the achievement of the Government which may be necessary but not sufficient to convince Ghanaians.

Many Ghanaians reason that if Government is a continuum, then it is a wrong judgement and waste of state resources for the NPP administration to abandon the many schools, health and housing projects that the NDC administration started. The neglected projects included the E-Blocks, the Saglemi Housing Project, the Kedjetia Market, the University of Ghana Medical Center and many health and road projects across the country. It was apparent that Ghanaians were not satisfied with the NPP's performance, but the administration was very confident and showcased projects, to include street and traffic lights as well as toilet projects. The communities contested many of the mundane projects to have been private sector initiatives. The handling of the financial sector clean-up was problematic. The collapse of Uni-Bank and others was attributed to hatred and bad blood between the owners of the banks and some personalities in the NPP. The management of the Menzgold crisis was distressing and again exposed Ghana's weak financial sector regulatory regime.

The containment and management of COVID-19 were one of the highlights of the Nana Addo administration. The Government provided continuous assurance and guidance to the nation on the COVID-19 issues and the safety protocols. The administration provided essential supports such as food, free water and electricity to ameliorate the suffering of Ghanaians. This was an excellent springboard to win the confidence of the masses, but again this opportunity was also blown away through partisanship and chaotic distribution of food and other relief materials. It is believed many NPP Members of Parliament (MPs) rode on the Presidents achievements to seek the renewal of their mandate and not based on their own track record. The unhealthy rivalry between MPs and Municipal, Metropolitan and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), the imposition of Parliamentary Candidates (PCs) on the constituencies, and unfulfilled promises and demands were among the litany of reasons why many fine NPP PCs were unsuccessful in their bid to return to Parliament.

Looking Forward to a Better Future

The NPP has ambitions to retain power beyond Nana Addo. It will be politically suicidal for the current administration to continue business as usual. Judging from the results of the just-ended elections, continuity beyond Nana Addo will be a herculean task. The new administration must lead the way to build and win the confidence and keep faith with Ghanaians. The new administration and government leaders must listen, learn and act. First, corruption and accountability must be taken seriously and given priority attention. The Government must investigate all pending corruption allegations thoroughly, and culprits must be prosecuted. The party must institute disciplinary actions to rein in the noisy bigwigs, money bags and their surrogates who have captured the party. This stakeholder group has become a risk to the fortunes of the party. Their sacrifices are certainly not more than fallen heroes who fell whiles working in the trenches for the NPP. Party and Government communication and public relationship need serious attention. Internal party reforms are also needed to enable every card bearing member to elect their presidential and parliamentary Candidate.

The administration must wean itself off the 'family and friends' tag, 'whom-you-know' appointments and encourage an all-inclusive Government. A lot more is needed to assure and win the confidence of Voltarians and Northerners that the NPP is a national party and welcomes all groups. Many Ghanaians think that Nana Addo, the Chief Executive Officer of corporate Ghana, must be determined to hire, organise, control, evaluate, reshuffle and fire non-performing appointees. Finally, the Government must avoid the unwieldy and disjointed programming we saw under the previous administration. The focus should be on the projects that can be executed effectively and efficiently to the benefit of our people. Indeed, not everything is doable within the next four years. The FSHS is a feel-good story, but it is certainly not enough. Ghana can only get better than it is today, and we must all endeavour to be democratically engaged, active and responsible.