Konadu to Mahama: 'Incompetence is incompetence'

Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings has said “incompetence is incompetence,” a response to President John Mahama’s comments two weeks ago that he will take that criticism from former Presidents Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuor, but not from former deputy governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

Mrs Rawlings, at an acclamation ceremony for the executives of the National Democratic Party (NDP) over the weekend, noted that: “When incompetence is there, it is incompetence. You cannot say that because you have not been there before you cannot say someone is incompetent.”

She also added that: “No matter who you are, no matter where you are, criticism is always important. If you don’t allow people to criticise you, you don’t know whether you’re charting a good path or doing the right thing.”

“Whatever it is, criticism is good for your own spiritual growth and upbringing and helps you to improve on your way of life…it is very important to have criticism and critique because it helps to bring you back in line,” she added.

According to her, “…if you say that you will not agree to anyone criticising you because they have never been in your position, then you are someone we should put a big question mark on, and not look at you as a leader at all.”

The President of the 31st December Women's Movement charged Ghanaians to vote out the governing National Democratic Congress in the 2016 general elections for a more competent and accountable government.

She called for a change in governance because “when you have a stain in your dress, you take it off. So, if there is a stain in governance, you take it off”.