Good riddance: It does not pay to take Ghanaians for granted

The First president of the Republic of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah once said “Ghanaians are not timid people as has been suggested in the foreign press.

Far from it. They may be slow to anger, and may take time organise and act. But once they are ready, they strike and strike hard, it pays no one to tamper with Ghanaian freedom and dignity”.

The outgoing failed and insensitive Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration and its appointees are in the best place to attest to the above quote from Dr. Nkrumah. The Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government took Ghanaians for granted, they thought we were gullible and unintelligent, they thought they could do things their way rather than our way. They relied on the overwhelming support and endorsement they got from us during the 2016 general elections. In their view, Ghanaians were never going to jilt them for at least two or three decades.

The President turned the country into a family confetti shop where every family member could walk in and enjoy whatever they desired. They normalised nepotism and cronyism, corruption was institutionalised, dissenting voices were suppressed, the president and his appointees were living above reproach, state capture became the norm, attempts were made to divert state institutions to government appointees with impunity. The government and its appointees were only interested in their financial stability and that of their generations yet unborn.

The Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government run down the economy, they deliberately targeted and collapsed businesses owned by their perceived political opponents. Their intention was to destroy anyone who did not support their course. President Akufo-Addo was too intoxicated with power to the extent that he started ordering chiefs to stand on their feet before greeting him. Such was the height of the arrogance of this administration.

All these while, they thought they have been able to cow Ghanaians into submission and were scared to speak, and this is where they got it completely wrong. Nay: Ghanaians were not scared to speak, they were only waiting for the opportunity to strike, and that opportunity was the 7th December 2024 elections, so they waited patiently.

On 7th December 2024, Ghanaians did the real talking, they gave the government an unprecedented bitter lesson they will never ever forget. The NPP lost with difference of close to 1.7million votes to the NDC, this is Ghanaians speaking with one voice. The NPP was annihilated, crushed, embarrassed and destroyed beyond repairs. Currently, the NPP is in tatters, dazed and discombobulated, indeed it pays no one to take Ghanaians for granted.

As an Alumni of the Ghana Institute of Social Democrats (GIDS) established by the NDC, it is obvious that, I believe in the philosophical and the ideological stance of the NDC and wish the NDC continue to flourish. However, there are lessons to be learnt from the NPP’s current predicament. I am therefore using this opportunity to appeal to all comrades and well-wishers and most especially and all those who will be privilege to serve under this our new and incoming government, to serve with humility, dignity, honesty and integrity. One thing that must be completely eschewed is arrogance and selfishness.

It is important to use this opportunity to let the good people come to a realisation that, indeed the NDC is completely different from the NPP. As a party, the NDC has a golden opportunity to win the confidence of NPP supporters beyond the 2028 elections.

Considering the massive endorsement from the good people of Ghana, the NDC can go on to break the eight if those privileged to serve do so with devotion and with the people of Ghana at heart. This endorsement must reflect in the wellbeing of Ghanaians and establish H.E. John Dramani Mahama as the best president in the Fourth Republic. It can be done, this is a golden opportunity to put the NDC well above all other political parties in this country.