Incumbent National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Lower Manya, Michael Teye Nyauno, has launched a blistering attack on the government over the level of corruption of ministers and officials.

“For me, I say corruption is at its peak... how much do people earn in our government that people can put up two-three storey buildings in a year: how much is their salary?” the NDC MP wondered in an interview on an Accra based radio station whilst apportioning blame on the late President John Evans Atta Mills.

Mr. Teye Nyaunu therefore described the Mils/Mahama administration as a failure in view of failed promises and rising rate of unemployment in the country, giving it a 35 per cent rating in terms of performance.

Apart from that, he said, “during the Atta Mills regime, all the promises that were made have not been redeemed half way: with few months for its term to expire... we (the NDC) came on the wings of promises”.

He wondered why President Mahama would want to rely on such a failed legacy of Mills.

In spite of the numerous promises that the NDC made to Ghanaians whilst in opposition, Nyaunu noted, “We have not been able to redeem these promises.”

He blamed the late President Mills for his inability to stamp his authority against some of these dastardly acts, saying, “A lot of the ministers and people who are in key positions were doing it their own way”.

“Everything is described by its predominant features: that is why I' m saying that;I never said he didn't do some but at least I compared what he left as at what he said visa-a'-vis what he has done, that is why I said he is a failure”, he emphasized.

Failed Promises

The tough-talking NDC MP further said, “He is a failure because the schools that we are saying are taking off under trees have not been completed”, asking, “How many have we done?”

He wondered how many of those schools under the trees that government was supposed to have eliminated had been fully paid for or completed because according to the NDC MP, “I know of a lot that are still work in progress; they have not been completed.

“Even look at the circumstance under which government payments are affected; look at the circumstances under which judgment payment are effected and they rationalize it and say that the court has given a decision...”

What seemed to annoy him the most about the payment of some of these controversial judgment debts was the fact that, “when started, the late President said he's not even aware: he told them not to pay, eventually we got to know that there had been series of meetings to the extent that those people should be paid”, he said.

Nyaunu however declined to disclose the names of individuals and groups of persons he claimed to be amassing wealth everywhere.

“Maybe, I will not be able to mention the names right away but corruption is at its highest level in this country now”, he said, whilst serving notice, “I have raised it now so let's hope one day I will come out with the names. It is a gradual process; so I have started talking … I will begin to mention certain names”.

False Hopes

For him, government's claim to have created well over 1.6 million jobs was a hoax if not a joke in itself, asking “Who says unemployment has reduced?”

He stated, “The students are being churned out form the schools: what jobs have we created, what new factories or industries have we opened? They rather closed under our administration”.

The MP for Lower Manya asked his government to be objective and realistic about the information put out in public.

He did not believe President Mahama could turn things around, saying “... I only pity President John Mahama”.

That, he said, was because “the legacy that has been bequeathed to him by Professor Mills is nothing to be proud about at all; the party has been fragment, there were thousand and one factions in the party before it was handed over to him. So he has a very herculean task that he won't be able to live up to that task within that limited period of time”.

He however wished him well in the task; “I hope he rises up to the occasion”, the outspoken MP said the NDC administration was not worthy of a second term come the December elections because it had achieved nothing meaningful over the last three-and-half years for Ghanaians.

He stated, “The NDC has lot of promises they have to fulfill” because the party had not redeemed 90% of their campaign promises. The NDC has simply failed the people and must act now.

Mills Sainthood

He questioned why the NDC was fooling Ghanaians by trying to present President Mills as a saint, adding that it was only gullible people who would fall for such a political gimmick.

“Why was the Accra High Street named after him?” he asked.

“The Accra High Street has been there all this while. Now, they have named it after him, have you constructed a flyover by adding the name? If you deem it fit to name it after him, go and add value to the road”, he said.

But the propaganda secretary of the NDC, Richard Quashigah, disagreed with Nyaunu, rubbishing each and every one of the parliamentarian's claims.

That, he said, was because his own opinion did not reflect the reality on the ground, insisting that “in reality, things are better today in Ghana than there were before the NDC came into office”.

He was not the least surprised at Nyaunu's assertions saying “it has been his stock in trade” to criticize the administration.