Opinions of Sunday, 31 December 2023

Columnist: Dr. John-Baptist Naah

NPP needs deeper reflections in opposition after 2024 for failing Ghanaians gargantuanly

New Patriotic Party (NPP) flag New Patriotic Party (NPP) flag

Governance should be about making the lives of those governed better. Before the advent of the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led regime, the NPP made the unsuspecting Ghanaian Voters believe that the best thing to happen in Ghana after 2016 was the NPP Party in charge of governance.

While in power now, this current government is ironically inept and insensitive to Ghanaians, the very people who voted them into power in 2016 and 2020.

The actions and inactions of this government from 2017 to date are self-inflicted and they must suffer for it. The ineptitude and insensitivity of this governing NPP Party is what will take them into Opposition after the 2024 General elections.

It is almost certain to me that the only way this governing NPP Party led by President Akufo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia will better learn and deeply reflect on their poor performance and disappointing Ghanaians so badly is when they are in Opposition after 2024.

This is supported by the fact that the arrogance of power is visible everywhere under this government. Here are a few examples.

This Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led government has not only mismanaged the economy and weakened the economic fundamentals but also recklessly borrowed to astronomical levels; by taking the national debt from about GHS120 billion in 2016 to almost GHS600 billion in 2023).

Instead of admitting that they have erred and start fixing the ailing economy, the NPP rather blame their self-inflicted economic woes on COVID-19 and the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.

As if that was not enough, this insensitive government sadly subjected Ghanaians to the excruciating Domestic Debt Exchange Program (DDEP) after Ken Ofori-Atta borrowed as if there was no tomorrow and plunged the country into massive debt and still went to the IMF for $3 billion 3-year Extended Credit Facility.

The unsightly scenes of the elderly picketing at the Finance Ministry this year to demand for payment of their matured coupons and bonds with government showed the highest level of insensitivity and callousness of this regime.

Additionally, corruption and nepotism have been on the ascendency under this government. The galamsey menace, on the other hand, is also flourishing and devastating pristine forest reserves with rich biodiversity and major rivers and streams killing aquatic faunal and floral species and endangering human health in mining communities.

The continuous piling of taxes on Ghanaians when this current government promised Ghanaians of more production and less taxes in 2016 can be best described as wicked deceit. The slimmest Majority in Parliament wastes no time in pushing through their obnoxious taxes amid opposition from the NDC Minority without the former considering the repercussions of worsening living conditions. This is highly pathetic, to say the least!

The arrogance of power and insensitivity shown by this NPP regime failed Ghanaians gargantuanly and they are not ready to learn from their mistakes.

This demonstrates that the NPP has run out of ideas, energy, and still lacks any modicum of sincerity to govern again and Ghanaians should vote them out.

Recent publications in 2023 by the EIU’s ‘Africa Outlook 2024 - Strong Growth amid Heated Elections and Financial Woes’ and Bloomberg support the fact that this NPP government is highly unpopular among Ghanaians and the NDC is likely to win the 2024 General elections.

On the Flagbearer level, Global InfoAnalytics survey concluded that former President would defeat Dr. Bawumia of the NPP in 2024. Thus, the NPP should be given a loud electoral rejection in 2024 to be in Opposition and reflect on their undoing.

The next NDC under Mahama will fix the economic mess created by the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led government with introduction of refreshed energy and transformative ideas.

The New Year, 2024 beckons and we all should be more watchful, more responsible and continue to be citizens and demand the upcoming elections to be highly peaceful, free, and fair on December 7, 2024.