President Mahama's Honeymoon Is Over, And Ghanaians Bear The Brunt Of Hardship

Realistically, the first few months of any new government are marked by goodwill. Citizens are patiently waiting to see how things unfold.

They give the benefit of the doubt. Interestingly, some call it a "honeymoon period" for the government.

For President John Dramani Mahama and the NDC administration, that honeymoon is officially over due to what ordinary citizens are going through.

That said, Ghanaians are no longer asking for promises. They are asking for results after 1 year and 7 months of being in power. And right now, the results on the ground tell a different story, with disappointment on the faces of the ordinary Ghanaian.

Unfortunately, citizens who had high expectations of President Mahama's administration face the following predicaments:

The Cost of Living Crisis Deepens

Indeed, from Accra to Tamale and other parts of the country, the story is the same. Prices of food, fuel, and basic commodities continue to climb.

Transport fares have gone up. Electricity tariffs are biting. Yet salaries of the ordinary Ghanaian remain stagnant. The ordinary Ghanaian worker, trader, and student is being squeezed daily.

In fact, the government’s major campaign message was focused on "resetting" the economy. But resetting cannot mean more hardship for the people who voted for change.

Unfulfilled Promises and Rising Frustration

During the campaign, Candidate Mahama and the NDC promised relief, jobs, and a better standard of living.

Today, unemployment remains high, businesses are struggling to cope with taxes, the high cost of electricity, unstable power, and the cedi is currently under pressure.

To state emphatically, when a government abandons the very people who worked and sacrificed to bring it to power, it cannot complain when support begins to erode. That's the fate of President Mahama and the NDC.

For a reminder, President Mahama, in opposition, on several occasions, promised to reduce fuel prices and argued strongly that the NPP was insensitive to the plight of Ghanaians.

He remarked that external forces don't have an impact on Ghana's economic progress and debunked the claims of the previous NPP administration.

Presently, President Mahama, in his submission on the current rising fuel prices, cites the US, Iran, and Israel war as the basis to defend his government and the NDC.

However, what struck many discerning Ghanaians has to do with President Mahama's sudden U-turn on rising fuel prices and the cost of living.

What has changed? Is it a sheer case of dishonesty or double standards on the part of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces?

Clearly, these are the questions discerning citizens are asking to know and to be abreast with. And these are genuine, devoid of partisan politics.

In my considered view, President Mahama's honeymoon is over, and the reality begins to set in for the excruciating hardship Ghanaians are being subjected to.

To add, the IMF programme is over, and we await the measures President Mahama and the Finance Minister will put in place to ameliorate the suffering of Ghanaians.

In conclusion, who are we to blame? Is it President Mahama or the NDC for deception? Yes, the honeymoon period is absolutely over, and Ghanaians will continue to face the consequences of every election and the choice of leadership.

May God save us from this insensitive and clueless government led by President Mahama.

Thank you.

Shalom!

By: Abdulai Abdul-Razak

Tutor / Writer / Former Tamale South Constituency Communications Officer, NPP