NDC Wasted Six Years To Build A Shaky Foundation

The National Democratic Congress, as a political grouping or party, has really confirmed beyond all reasonable doubts to Ghanaians that it does not have what it takes to secure the socio-economic wellbeing of the people whose mandate they always want to employ any means possible to obtain.

For the past 34 years, this group has had the privilege to preside over the affairs of the country for 24 solid years, the longest any political group has ever had since independence. And the party's performance has been nothing but appalling, mostly reversing the nation's socio-economic forward march.

At the time the NDC was leaving office in 2001, the GDP growth rate of the country was 3.7%. The New Patriotic Party, under the able leadership of former President Kufuor, grew the economy to 8.4% at the time of leaving office in 2009. That was a progressive growth that occurred without the benefit of crude oil exports.

The verdict out there among Ghanaians, at least the discerning and objective majority, is that the current NDC administration, which has spent six years in office, has been a complete waste to the nation.

Having inherited a sound economy growing at 8.4%, without oil, on its return to power in 2009, the NDC, now under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama, has succeeded in lowering Ghana's economic growth to a projected 3.9% in 2015. We agree with the Minority Caucus in Parliament when it says this declined growth means higher unemployment, higher prices and declining revenues.

The NDC government has had access to the quantum of resources never made available to any government since the nation attained political independence. These resources have come from oil revenues, unusually increased taxation and unprecedented borrowing.

But, many Ghanaians find it difficult to see the projects or development the resources have been used for, with the government claiming that one would need a vertical 'elevation' to see the so-called development being carried out.

This has been the outcome of the massive corruption and misuse of public funds, as well as naked loot of the nation's resources, by President John Dramani and his functionaries , who have clearly given indication that they only came to power to 'create, loot and share' the nation's resources.

As a result of sheer ineptitude and corruption, the last six years of the NDC administration has witnessed one of the worst forms of economic hardships ever foisted on Ghanaians, leaving majority of the people with no hope.

Within that period, the cedi was declared the worst performing currency in the whole world, having suffered about 200% depreciation in the last six years. In the 8-year NPP administration, under former President Kufuor, the cedi depreciated by 53%.

After inheriting an interest rate of 25 per cent, the NDC government, under the presidency of Mr Mahama, has pushed the rate to 30%. The previous NPP government brought it down to 25% from the 42% it had inherited from the previous NDC government.

This, coupled with other disincentives to business growth, including the ongoing 'dumsor-dumsor', has led to the collapse of many businesses, thus rendering many Ghanaians jobless and poorer.

Ghanaians have lived in a state of complete despondency for the past six years under the Mahama-led NDC government which has been characterized by the worst forms of corruption ever witnessed in the country's governance system, gross ineptitude, leadership paralysis and unprecedented economic mismanagement.

Ghana is certainly on the brinks of complete collapse and the time to save the nation is now. All well-meaning citizens who are concerned about the future of the country should join the crusade to educate one another about the need to get rid of President Mahama and his NDC in the 2016 elections.

We should not allow them to use their lies and political chicanery to hoodwink the masses into believing that they have built a so-called economic foundation within a period of two years and so need another term for Mr Mahama to fulfill his promises to the country. The current NDC government has been in power for six years and Ghanaians should accordingly take note of that.

President Mahama himself recognized this when he spoke during the Presidential Debate orgainsed by the Institute of Economic Affairs ahead of the 2012 general elections: "The NDC government has done a lot in four years. Our constitution gives presidents two terms. Take it that I am the spare driver or caretaker. Prof. Mills, of blessed memory, started the process and I am finishing his unexpired term. I believe the NDC government deserves a second term to be able to build on the foundation that it has laid in these four years."

President Mahama in 2012 asked for another term for the NDC government to build upon the foundation it had built in the previous four years in office. So, what moral justification can the NDC have to ask for another four years to build upon another foundation? Ghanaians certainly cannot be that patient with a group that has wasted six years of their mandate to build a shaky economic foundation and made their lives worse than before.

The process of saying 'a good riddance to bad rubbish' in 2016 begins now and all well-meaning Ghanaians have the moral responsibility to join the crusade for the sake of the future of our dear country.