On The Lurid Clip: Is NDC Ready To Turn Ghana Into Paradise?

The recent abhorrent audio clip being circulated around the globe has apparently given oxygen to the critics long-held conviction that but for the unfortunate interference of the NDC tradition in the governance of the country, Ghana would have developed meaningfully by now.

Dearest reader, let us face it, how on earth would a supposedly responsible opposition persistently organise secret meetings with the view to making the country ungovernable?

The video clip making rounds show how some partisan creatures can conceive and deliver a fiendish plot with the view to winning electoral advantage over their opponents.

How unpatriotic, how cruel, how malevolent, and how pathetic some heartless creatures who rather preferred to be called politicians can be?

All said and done, the crucial question discerning Ghanaians should be asking is: do the NDC apparatchiks really have the wellbeing of Ghana at heart?

Why should anyone sing the praises of individuals who disastrously collapsed the social interventions such as the School Feeding Programme, the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Metro Mass Transit, the Free Maternal Care, SADA, and GYEEDA amongst others?

Why should any true Ghanaian jump up and down over the GH800 million dubious judgment debt payments, including the GH51.2 million to Woyome which resulted in the drastic reduction of capital expenditure, and hence most contractors were not paid by the erstwhile NDC administration?

Why should any patriotic Ghanaian gleefully clamour for the return of the heartless individuals, who out of sheer cruelty, embezzled SADA funds meant for the development of Northern Ghana?

How can any true Ghanaian shrill and thrill over the millions of Cedis originally budgeted to develop our schools were bizarrely spent on bus branding?

Ghana has regrettably been in the throes of economic meltdown due to the erstwhile NDC government’s terrible errors in decision-making.

There is admissible evidence of unbridled sleazes and corruption, including monies which were given to parasitic creatures who did not render any services towards the national development. Woyome and Akua Donkor come to mind.

As a matter of fact, a large portion of Ghana’s scarce resources, regrettably, went down the drain due to the mismanagement and the wanton sleazes and corruption perpetrated by the officials of the erstwhile NDC administration.

In all these, the loyalists NDC supporters would want discerning Ghanaians to believe that the erstwhile NDC government provided exceptional governance.

Verily, vague understanding of patriotism exists in the minds of many Ghanaians, who prefer needless praise singing to defending the national interests.

In fact, I cannot get my head around how and why some people would choose to bypass the NDC, and would gleefully censure the likes of CPP, PNP, NLC, SMC, and NPP for Ghana’s underdevelopment.

Dearest reader, given the circumstances in which the NDC was formed, one would have expected true probity, transparency and accountability within the elected NDC government, nonetheless, that has never been the case.

The fact of the matter is that since the attainment of the independence from the British in 1957, the NDC tradition (PNDC and NDC) had governed the country more than any other government I can think of. In fact, that tradition had governed Ghana for approximately 27 years out of Ghana’s 62 years.

In retrospect, the CPP tradition (CPP and PNP) governed the country for approximately 12 years.

Regrettably, the last ‘Nkrumaists’ government formed by the PNP, and led by Dr Hilla Limann, was deposed by the founders of the NDC which was spearheaded by Ex-President J. J. Rawlings on 31st December 1981.

The military regimes of the NLC, SMC 1 and 2 ruled Ghana for about 10 years before the founders of the NDC usurping power on 4th June 1979.

The UP tradition (PP and NPP) total share of the day-to-day management of the country is about 13 years to date.

In my humble opinion, in terms of useful infrastructural projects which put the country at a substantial and propitious position, Dr Nkrumah’s CPP government did exceedingly better than any of the administrations that followed.

Although Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia’s government lasted for less than three years, there is no community in Ghana where traces of his development initiatives cannot be seen.

Visible accomplishments of Busia's government included the building of roads, housing, provision of healthcare facilities and water.

The story was told, though factually, that Dr Busia was the first Ghanaian leader to create a ministry responsible for rural development, an initiation which was in line with his commitment at raising the living standards of the rural dwellers (Daily Guide, 11/07/2013).

Ideally, I detest coup makers, but General I. K. Acheampong (The Head of State from 1972-78) was an exception to my arousing disgust. I had a great deal of respect for the man, primarily because of his great sense of foresight.

In my humble opinion, General I. K. Acheampong was a visionary leader who initiated pragmatic policies such as operation feed yourself and affordable housing units.

The Limann government entered office at a time when the economy was stagnant. Suffice it to stress that all credit lines to the country had gradually dried up and were finally blocked due to brutalities and confiscations at the harbours and other points of entry into Ghana by the NDC founders.

Nevertheless, through well-thought through negotiations, preparations and honest presentation of prudent programmes, government worked out a pragmatic approach to the solution of Ghana’s economic difficulties.

Eventually, laudable efforts were made to repay our short-term debts and demonstrated the ability to meet our debt obligations.

In effect, DrLimann’s government was able, within 18 months, to restore virtually all traditional credit lines (Source: PNC).

Disappointingly, however, Rawlings and his cohorts did not give Dr Liman and his PNP government the breathing space to govern the country, as they relentlessly breathed down the neck of President Liman.

As a matter of fact, Rawlings and his rabble rousers unfairly kept criticising Dr Limann’s administration for what the coup makers perceived as economic mismanagement, until Rawlings and his jailbreaking geezers decided to depose Dr Limann.

Subsequently, J. J. Rawlings and the other obstreperous jailbreakers took arms and succeeded in deposing the democratically elected government of Dr Hilla Limann on 31st December 1981.

Rawlings and his friends formed a government which they called the Provisional national Defence Council (PNDC) and appointed Rawlings as the chairman.

After imposing himself and despotically ruling the country for over 11 years, J. J. Rawlings retired from the military and bizarrely metamorphosed into civilian president in 1992.

Disappointingly, former President Rawlings memorable achievement was to send us to the membership of the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC).

President Kufuor took over the presidency in January 2001.

He exerted dint of critical thinking, worked strenuously for eight solid years, laid an auspicious economic foundation by stabilising the macroeconomic indicators and retired honourably in January 2009.

Ex-President Kufuor passed on the baton to the late President Mills on 7th January 2009, following his 28th December 2008 election round-off victory.

It is, however, worthy of mention that the late President Mills inherited a total debt of GH9.5 billion and a favourable economic growth of around 8.4 per cent in 2009.

Let us however admit, the late President Mills was extremely fortunate to have taken over a very good economic foundation laid by the zestful enthusiast, former President Kufuor and his equally ebullient team.

Take, for instance, three years after former President Kufuor’s NPP government had discovered oil in commercial quantities, the late President Mills turned on the valve at an offshore platform in December 2010 to pump the first commercial oil.

It is worthy of note that Ghana soon joined the petroleum exporting countries. And believe it or not, Ghana started to export crude oil and thus boosted the economic growth.

Gratifyingly, the economy grew from around 8.4 per cent to around 14 per cent by 2011, and, Ghana reached the Lower Middle Income status.

Delightfully, Ghana’s GDP grew from $28 billion to a staggering $47 billion in 2011.

Unsurprisingly, Ghana was earmarked as the world's fastest growing economy in 2010 (Economy Watch, 2010).

“Ghana's economy is growing at a blistering 20.15 per cent” (Economy Watch).

To his credit, though, the late President Mills prudently continued to improve upon the excellent economic foundation laid by former President Kufuor and his NPP government.

Unfortunately, President Mills mysteriously departed from life in July 2012.

And per Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, Vice President Mahama was the next in line to take over the presidency.

Things started to fall apart. It went from bad to worse following President Mills sudden and mysterious death.

Ghana’s total debt rocketed astronomically following the unbridled spending in the 2012 general election and the numerous corruption scandals involving GYEEDA, SADA, SUBA, Bus Branding, dubious judgment debt payments and many others.

Therefore it did not come as a surprise to some of us at all, when President Nana Akufo-Addo hinted during his first state of the nation address that Ghana’s total debt has ballooned to a staggering GH122.4 billion as of December 2016.

Unsurprisingly, following President Akuffo-Addo’s state of the nation address, the disputatious NDC apparatchiks came out fighting their way through in a desperate attempt to present their version of the conspicuously gloomy economic outlook.

Dearest reader, what were they trying to defend?
To be quite honest, there was nothing to defend. Suffice it to state that they were just exhibiting their prowess in the propagation of propaganda.

Back then, the NDC faithful could only resort to propaganda when questioned about the GH9.5 billion debt in 2009 which rocketed to GH122.4 billion in just eight years.

How can they convince some of us of their ability to govern the country futuristically when they woefully shrunk Ghana’s GDP from $47 billion to $37 billion in five years?

How can they prove their innocence when they abysmally dragged an economic growth of more than 14 percent in 2011 to an incredible 3.7 percent as of December 2016?

Let us face it, the NDC has worsened Ghana’s socio-economic development since its inception.

As a matter of fact, with all their 27 years in governance, the successive NDC governments have not done enough to improve upon the socio-economic standards of living of Ghanaians.

K. Badu, UK.
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