The aftermath: From relief and reflection to action

At long last, the elections are over and the old is new again. The old must remember why they became the old and what kept them in the political wilderness for the last eight years.

In 2016 the electorate had become thoroughly disgusted with corruption within the NDC government of President John Mahama. This led to a landslide victory for the then anti-corruption crusader, Nana Akufo - Addo until he became president.

Let’s not waste time on Akufo-Addo‘s presidency. Most observers consider it a costly waste of time for the Ghanaian people and that is being mild and genteel about the matter. A bloated government, an arrogant and uncaring attitude and no vision or plan for development in the country. Paradoxically, this supposed human rights lawyer led a period in which free speech was stifled in the country. He operated as the head Paramount Chief of Ghana, not as an elected president who was chosen to serve everyone, including those who did not vote for him or his party.

The return of the NDC to government should be accompanied by caution. They have no plan that is credible enough to address the scope of difficulties that awaits them as a government. We should already be running a 24 hour economy within our current means,

so that whole idea seems more like a slogan than a real plan. As for the NPP, the elephant will stay in the bush for quite a while.

We certainly need a new paradigm for governance and development in Ghana. It is unlikely that the NDC will be able to achieve this within the next four years because already there are signs that the culture of the party, with acts of indiscipline and criminality among its rank and file has not changed one little bit. This has contributed to the delays in fully certifying results from nine outstanding constituencies. They share the culture of disorder with the NPP who are also responsible for some of the current stalemates and unnecessary and avoidable deaths that have occurred during voting. These events have tarnished our reputation as a truly democratic republic.

The reality is that, if Ghana cannot make deep cuts in government expenditures and invest heavily in the agricultural sector to increase productivity and job creation, nothing will change. Austerity and a rapid increase in productivity are the only cure for our decades of fiscal indiscipline.

These steps may help in rescheduling our debts and if Ghana cannot perform with much better fiscal discipline going forward, we shall stand still or go backwards in spite of the overwhelming victory of the NDC.

Mr. Mahama has his work cut out for him. If he does not broaden his team to include talent from all sectors of the society, he is likely to fail. The country needs integrity in government, new ideas, bold innovative solutions and above and beyond everything else non-prejudicial enforcement of the law. If this does not happen, the period of joy and relief will be brief and reflection on our past will not be enough.

This is a time for a more non-partisan and inclusive approach to governance in Ghana and indeed a time for visionary leadership. We shall see if this invitation to govern by the electorate is honoured by the winning party.

Prof. (Med) Thaddeus Ulzen

Chairman, Progressive Alliance for Ghana (PAG)
[email protected]
@ThaddeusUlzen