Ghanaians think we move 'in the wrong direction'- NDC will have a rough 2016

The October 2014 Afrobarometer (AB) Report by the Ghana Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-Ghana) said " an overwhelming majority of Ghanaians, constituting 82 per cent, said the country was moving in the "wrong direction", compared to 57 per cent who thought so in 2012". (Source: GNA General News of Thursday, 23 October 2014).

The above report notwithstanding, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr. Afotey Agbo had the effrontery to proclaim that Ghanaians will vote massively for Mahama and the NDC in 2016; that Mahama's good works will speak for him.

And read what Communications Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah said, "President John Mahama will clinch a one-touch victory in the 2016 elections. According to him, the infrastructural achievement of the government between 2012 and now, will give the President a smooth ride through the elections".

Mr. Armah Kofi Buah, Minister for Energy and Member of Parliament for Ellembele in the Western Region said, "Forget voters' register, Mahama's good works will speak – Minister".

Infrastructural development has been relegated to the background in Ghanaian politics because of the magnitude of the suffering of the people. Lies from the government on the number of road construction projects and the number of schools being built don't mean anything to the electorate of today.

There hasn't been any improvement in the living standards of the people, the economy is on a downward trend, prices of all items on the market keep rising, the gap between the rich and the poor keeps increasing, government performance is viewed as bad, and the majority of the people believe Ghana is moving in the wrong direction. And all of this is happening as millions of oil dollars keep flowing in. (See "Ghana oil proceeds hit US$3 billion" General News of Wednesday, 2 September 2015).

Ghanaians aren't stupid, that's for sure. We are wise and educated enough to tell the difference between government propaganda and the reality on the ground.

Ghanaians by nature and training do not want to rely on the government for the well-being of our families. We are proud enough to say that we are responsible people who do not rely on the government for improvement in our lives.

We, however, expect the government of the day to judiciously use our tax money and foreign exchange earnings to create the favorable economic conditions which promote viable business ventures which in turn bring improvement in our lives.

That is not what we are witnessing in this "yentiee obiara" government of the NDC. Businesses are closing down and laying employees off daily and yet the NDC appointees keep telling Ghanaians more and more about the "Better Ghana Agenda" fairy tale.

Bear in mind that infrastructural development is seen as belonging to "aban". The people vote based on personal improvement in their living standards, not on infrastructural development. That is why vote-buying during elections is effective even though the cash and the gifts result in short term improvements in the living standards of the people.

Osagyefo Dr. Nkrumah embarked on massive infrastructural development for Ghana but when these did not reflect in improvement in the living standards of the people, the masses hailed his ouster. It was then that he is reported to have said, "if I had known that milk and sugar were what Ghanaians wanted, I would have supplied them with milk through their taps at home".

Election 2016 is just over a year away. And like Afotey Agbo said, "Ghanaians aren't stupid". We will vote out the incompetent NDC government because "yentie obiara" apart from the NPP and Nana Akufo Addo/Bawumia.