On My Humble Mind: Ghana, A Nation In Agony Under President John Mahama As We Mark Our Republican Status

On the 1st of July, 1960 Ghana proclaimed its Republican status after gaining independence from the British Colonial masters in 1957. The country was seen as a model African nation with many potential socio economic development for the rest of the continent to emulate.

Ghana provided the beacon of hope to the rest of African and indeed the black race. Sadly subsequent events in the country's history have shown that the contrary is the reality. The 2014 Republican Day would probably go into the annals of the country's history as a painful and agonizing reminder for the vast majority of Ghanaians.

Despondency and hopelessness, obliterating agony and regret, corruption and mal-administration being meted out by a clueless, visionless, unperturbed leadership is what President John Dramani Mahama is plunging this nation of our birth into.

Every aspect of our national development has registered a negative growth pattern. The level of leadership paralysis can only be compared probably to a nation in crisis. With a president who lacks strategic mindset and is embroiled in many dubious controversial transactions, President Mahama's administration is the worst ever.

The announcement of an impending increases in some essential basic products including a 20% upwards adjustment on fuel prices, increases in electricity and water tariffs and the introduction of a 17.5% Value Added Tax on some banking transaction government describe as non core to the banking industry all potent an indication of how the John Mahama and the NDC has long lost the capacity of leading the country.

It was very paradoxical and unimaginable to many Ghanaians that announcement of an impending increase s in products such as fuel will be made many days before culminating in artificial shortage, long queues at various filling stations and illegal hiking of the price of the commodity. A tired travelling public and near bringing of economic activity to a halt as many are, a highly flammable product is purchased in yellow gallons and other receptacles.

Also mind boggling and the most bizarre of Presidential indifference was in throwing all caution and good counsel to the dogs by ordering the airlifting of some $3 million (or $4.5 million as is being alleged as cashed from the bank of Ghana) to settle the appearance fees of the Senior National team, the Black Stars and their technical handlers and officials.

Under the full glare of the international media, President Mahama airlifted dollar bills in bags to be distributed to the country's representatives at the FIFA World Cup tournament in Brazil. This clearly flouts the country's laws and international transfer of money.

The Brazilian and international media showed television footages of the arrival of a chartered aircraft carrying the money and followed the Hollywood film style transportation of the millions of dollars while it was being sent to the hotel for distribution to the Black Stars and other officials of the Ghana Team.

As if a well written script directed by President Mahama, hard cash was shared to the players while a crucial match awaited them the following day. Not surprisingly, the team lost the match and Ghana was booted out of the competition in the first round.

The pain which is supervised by President Mahama through the sports minister and his deputy is just a tip of the iceberg. Ghanaians must probably brace ourselves for many more draconian measures are to be expected from the presidency.

Ghanaians are going get the real taste of President John Mahama and the NDC government in the next few months. Many Ghanaians are going to experience very worrying living standards. Businesses are going to collapse as a result of the continues depreciation of the cedi against other major currencies.

Interest rates and inflation will continue their ascensency as is no longer being touted as the main achievement of government. The erratic supply of electricity and water which has seen no improvement in spite of astronomical increasing in tariffs is not going to get any better.

Taxes on the people of Ghana have been used to finance strange and questionable programmes. Contracts are entered into by government without recourse to value for money or ever being performed.

There is really nothing worth celebrating today. The pride of the Ghanaian in the league of Nations is at it's lowest erb. The governance of the nation has been reduced to visionlessness while the people agonize in despondency.

The 2016 elections present an opportunity to make amends. The New Patriotic Party has shown that we have the pedigree, tenacity of purpose, vision and strategies to provide the required leadership to arrest the country's decent into the helplessness being experienced under President Mahama and his bunch of corrupt ministers and officials.

Ghanaians deserve the best. The N.P.P is the only hope and a vote for the party in the 2016 is a vote for a massive improvement in our livelihoods. President J.A. Kufuor and the N.P.P proved that given the opportunity, the N.P.P. has all it takes to develop the country in freedom.

Today Ghanaians look helplessly and with bated breath as virtually all the major social interventions introduced by the N.P.P under President Kufuor are being collapsed with rapid abandon.

The NHIS, Capitation grants, School feeding programme, NYEP, Road Projects among many others are all collapsing and/or plagued in massive institutional corruption and with alleged presidential collusion no official will ever be successfully prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others.

The nation's agony under President Mahama must be halted.

Fred Amankwah - Sarfo
Member, N.P.P
(024 425 5525 / 054 433 1324)