If we go down memory lane, before the formation of the NDC Party in 1992, the founder of the NDC Party , J. J. Rawlings, and his coup making friends vowed to purge off the alleged widespread sleazes, corruption and social injustices in the country which instigated their coup d’états in 1979 and 1981.
And in their hasty attempts to lustrate the country of the perceived needless maliciousness and injustices, they carried out what they termed “house cleaning exercise”,--they dealt with perceived offenders arbitrarily (instant justice).
Apparently, the disgruntled coup makers proceeded with their intentions and callously exterminated eight prominent officers, whom they wrongly accused of committing sleazes and corruption without trial.
Ironically, however, former President Rawlings and his cohorts are said to have founded the NDC Party based on the principles of probity, accountability and transparency. Yet sleazes and corruption were so prevalent in the successive NDC governments.
What is more, if we compared the alleged corrupt practices of the murdered army officers with the sleazes and corruptions which took place in the erstwhile NDC administration, we cannot resist but to maintain that the Generals were “shot for less”.
Let us be honest, the corruption permeated every facet of the erstwhile NDC administration, hence earning the famous epithet, ‘create loot and share’ government.
In fact, the corruption and sleazes were so pervasive to an extent that the founder of the NDC Party, J. J. Rawlings, shrilled and grouched openly: “I want to remind people that we could not have possibly forgotten that Generals were executed. The greed, corruption and injustice of today is a thousand times more than what these Generals were executed for, and if we are unable to restore a firm measure of integrity into our dealings, then the blood of many would have been shed in vain” (Rawlings 2017).
And despite their much touted ethos of transparency, probity and accountability, we have been witnessing so much scheming guiles, sleazes and corruptions in the successive NDC administrations.
I will thus venture to state that the abhorrent practices were even worst in the erstwhile NDC administration.
As a matter of fact and observation, the good people of Ghana woke up every morning to hear and read fresh news about damning sleazes and corruptions in the erstwhile NDC government.
Consequently, Ex-President Rawlings sadly reminded the corrupt NDC officials: “Need I remind you that the NDC was built on principles and values that emerged as a result of circumstances that led to our birth?”
“The fallen heroes we honour today expect of us in the least, never to relapse into those same old days. But that has not been the case.
“In the wake of the revolution we made pronouncements that summed up the state of affairs that prevailed then.
“I admonished back then that; “Ghana should be a land where it will be accepted practice and norm that those who earn the privilege to govern, should administer in humility, conscious that they are the servants of the people and are ready to submit themselves and their actions to public scrutiny and accountability” (Rawlings, 2016).
Unsurprisingly, therefore, many observers hold a strong conviction that Ghana’s current economic meltdown emanated from the unbridled sleazes and gargantuan corruption perpetrated by the officials of the outgone NDC administration.
Take, for example, despite the scarcity of resources, the outgone NDC administration spent over and above our means, hence Ghana’s budget deficit and the total debt took an astonishing flight.
Bizarrely, the NDC apparatchiks have been committing the same crimes (sleazes and corruption) their party founders tortured and exterminated many innocent people for.
Dearest reader, tell me, if this is not an example of hypocrisy, what it is then?
To me, there is nothing wrong for any individual to identify him/herself as an exponent of transparency, probity and accountability. But it does appear hypocritical when a group of people who claim to be the exponents of such ethos would then turn round and dip their hands into the national coffers as if there is no tomorrow.
Dearest reader, don’t you think the bribery and corruption cases involving SSNIT, SUBA, SADA, GYEEDA, Woyome, Bus branding,NSS, amongst others invariably distort the economy , threaten the fundamental human rights and subvert the institutions that guarantee stability?
I bet Akufo-Addo’s government would have rolled the free SHS to cover all the three levels if the officials of the erstwhile NDC government had not squandered the funds in the national purse.
Aren’t the NDC apparatchiks claiming to be the preachers of transparency, probity and accountability?
So why are they refusing to practice what they have been preaching to us all these years?
Let us face it, the outgone NDC government’s disastrous economic management and alleged corrupt practices sent Ghana’s economy deeper and deeper into the mire.
To be quite honest, I hate to admit this, but I am afraid, Ghana may not see any meaningful development, so long as we have a party whose members primary objective is to enrich themselves through the national purse.