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My rural folks, you’re not obliged to show Mahama any appreciation

John Dramani Mahama At Chatham House President John Mahama

Wed, 24 Aug 2016 Source: Badu, K

I have been listening with absolute puzzlement to the bizarre arguments being put forward by President Mahama’s apple-polishers that since NDC government has embarked on a number of infrastructure projects, the electorates will show their appreciation and vote massively for Mahama in the forthcoming general election.

It is based on the preceding propagandist declamations that I decided to put a telephone call through to the local information centre in my hometown and explained the essence of social contract to the attendant and besought him to pass on the information to the other village folks.

To get my message through as clear as possible, I decided to cut out any academic intricacies and explained social contract in the simplest of terms.

In a nutshell, I told the information attendant that since he, and other village folks have been paying taxes to Mahama and his NDC government over the years, they are not under any obligation to be thankful to Mahama and his NDC government for providing them with social amenities and infrastructural projects such as public toilets, schools, roads, water, electricity etc.

I continued by explaining to the information attendant that all the infrastructural projects that have been erected in their vicinity by Mahama and his NDC government were made possible through their own taxes and the loans they will pay at a later date.

Understandably, however, the attendant did not comprehend the notion that he and other village folks will pay the massive loans that have been contracted by Mahama and his government at a later date.

Nevertheless, I tried as much as I could and explained myself concisely as possible to the educable information centre attendant.

I told the gentleman that he and the other village folks will repay the gargantuan loans through the extra taxes Mahama and his NDC government will add to their existing taxes.

I maintained that in order for Mahama to get enough revenues to repay the elephantine loans, he could increase the taxes on fuel, electricity, water etc.

“Oh, I am obliged for your illumination”; “I’ve understood why we have been paying huge utility bills of late”, the attendant chipped in.

That’s alright; I always feel duty bound to inform my village folks about their rights and responsibilities as citizens of this nation of ours, I retorted.

I informed the information centre attendant that President Kuffour left a total debt of around 9.5 billion Ghana Cedis in 2009. However, our total debt has ballooned to around 100 billion Ghana Cedis as of July 2016.

This means that Mahama and his NDC government have added more than 90 billion Cedis within a short space of seven years.

“So, we will be paying all that huge debt?” He enquired.

Of course, you and the village folks will repay the huge debt that has been incurred by Mahama and his NDC government, I responded.

This is the reason why I am reminding you and the rest of the village folks not to show any appreciation to Mahama and his NDC government for the infrastructural projects. For if anything at all, Mahama is putting up those infrastructural projects with your own taxes, I added.

In fact, if anything at all, it is Mahama and his non-performing appointees who are reaping huge benefits from your taxes, I maintained.

Actually, on top of their big pay cheques, Mahama and his lousy appointees often misappropriate your taxes. They don’t tell you exactly how much they have been spending on all those infrastructural projects, I revealed.

So, it is rather Mahama and his derelict appointees who should be appreciative that you don’t hold them to account for their existential incompetence and corruption, I asseverated.

As a matter of fact, you are not under any obligation to vote for Mahama, because you are paying for the infrastructural projects, I declared.

“I am most grateful for the information”; “I will definitely spread the message to the other village folks”, he retorted.

It is my pleasure mate. Please go out there and spread the message, I responded.

Columnist: Badu, K
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