NPP flag
Before the 2016 general elections, this country was undergoing some unprecedented levels of infrastructural development that was revolutionary, the then National Democratic Congress government of Mr. John Dramani Mahama made infrastructural development its topmost priority.
The idea was to use infrastructure as a prelude to the economic emancipation of Ghana as a developing country. For a developing country to develop, there has to be adequate and sufficient infrastructural development, this serves as a
“precondition to take-off” after which “take-off” towards development is
achieved. As soon as the “take-off” is achieved economic transformation becomes inevitable. This is according to Walt Whiteman Rostow in his model of classic stages of Economic Growth.
The then-running mate to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Dr. Mahamudu
Bawumia was all over the place calling President Mahama “the incompetent
one”. Dr. Bawumia was consistent with his mischievous agenda throughout the
political season in 2016.
This was notwithstanding the physical infrastructural development we were
witnessing. Under John Mahama’s and late President John Evans Atta Mills's
tenures, Ghana was firmly engrained on this path to success, with the
construction of regional hospitals, roads, markets, schools, airports, housing
projects, interchanges, water expansions, rural electrification, and energy
investments such as the AMERI Power plant and the Karpowership plant.
The infrastructural gap in this country was intentionally narrowed by H.E. John
Mahama with the aim of achieving the “take-off” status needed for national
development.
Then unfortunately for Ghanaians, “disaster struck the land”, a group of
desperate greedy individuals masquerading as a political party with a clueless
candidate came along with their lies and deceptions and successfully deceived
Ghanaians that they had something better to offer. They accused H.E. John
Mahama and the NDC of incompetence and over-borrowing, without reference to the massive infrastructural projects across the length and breadth of the country.
The national debt stock was GHC 122 billion by December 2016, almost eight years after winning power through lies; the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government has increased the national debt stock to GHC 700 billion with nothing to show for apart from the politically motivated haphazardly introduced Free Senior High School which costs less than GHC 20 billion since its inception.
Today, Dr. Bawumia can no longer call former president Mahama incompetent,
because while he (Bawumia) was in opposition he and his boss's current
resident Akufo-Addo mounted platforms and complained about the exchange
rate being USD1 to GHC4, and promised to bring it down, today USD1 is equal
to GHC15.70, they complained about a ball of Kenkey selling at GHC1, today it
is GHC.5 under the presidency of Akufo-Addo and Bawumia.
A bag of cement sold at GHC20 in 2016 but GHC110 today, and a gallon of
diesel was GHC18 in 2016, today a litre is selling at GHC18. Therefore a gallon
is GHC68.04 (from GHC18 in 2016 to GHC68.04 in 2024) under the so-called
competent team. The debt to GDP was 54 % in 2016 and was viciously criticised as a sign of incompetence on the part of President John Mahama, today it is 78% under President Akufo-Addo with Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as his vice and head of the Economic Management Team (EMT). It is not surprising that Dr. Bawumia and the NPP can no longer call former president Mahama incompetent because Ghanaians now know the real incompetent one.
On corruption, the NDC has performed far better than the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government. According to Transparency International’s released Corruption Perception Index (CPI). The NDC’s worst performance is 43 which is better than the NPP’s best performance of 41.
Dr. Bawumia and the entire NPP machinery accused former President Mahama of excessively taxing Ghanaians and promised to transition the country from taxation to production; however, after winning the 2016 elections they increased the same taxes they were fighting against and even tried to introduce VAT on domestic electricity consumption. They have gone ahead to introduce the most bizarre form of taxation called E-Levy, this is a policy that taxes monies in the pockets of the masses directly.
Eight years under this Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government, pensioners are denied their monthly stipends that sustain them, under the Domestic Debt Exchange Program (DDEP) which was caused by the government’s ineptitude and incompetence as far as managing the economy is concerned.
Today inflation is as high as 24%, unemployment is at 14.8% up from 7% which
was inherited from John Mahama, and interest rate is at a massive 35% up
from the 20% the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia inherited from John Mahama. Moreover, freedom of speech has plummeted under this government, traditional rulers have been reduced to subjects, and morale in the country is at an all-time low after eight years of this nepotistic and vindictive Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government.
Clearly, the last eight years have shown Ghanaians who are competent and who
are incompetent between Dr. Bawumia and former president Mahama. Nothing
has improved under this Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government except the individual bank accounts of the appointees of the president and their associates.
Under the leadership of Bawumia and his boss, Ghanaians have witnessed a bitter lesson of leadership never experienced under the Fourth Republic. Government lands are being stolen with impunity. This country has been taken aback for about three decades. The worst aspect of this unfortunate spectacle is the government’s “crime of denial”. There is no sense of responsibility, no admission of guilt, they blame everyone and everything but themselves.
Instead of shouting “fixing the mess” they are disrespectfully and arrogantly
shouting “Breaking the eight”. It is obvious that the current government and
its appointees have zilch of respect for Ghanaians, if they did, they would have
lowered their voices and at least rendered apologies for their unprecedented
monumental economic mess and calling John Mahama incompetent.
Indeed, Dr. Bawumia is the perfect description of incompetence, because he is
competently incompetent.
