Opinions of Thursday, 6 June 2024

Columnist: Awudu Razak Jehoney

This election is between Ghana and the NPP - Mahama is right

John Dramani Mahama John Dramani Mahama

The recent statement by former President John Dramani Mahama to the effect that,
the upcoming 2024 general election is not between the National Democratic
Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), but rather between Ghana
and the NPP is nothing but the absolute truth; the former president couldn’t
have said it any better.

Folks, let’s negate our hatred or admiration for one political party or the order and dispassionately revisit and analyse some of the scandals under this Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government and their unique nature and it will be apparent
that the current government is at war with Ghana, the future of Ghana, and the
generations yet unborn.

Any well-meaning Ghanaian who has read the “Agyapadie document” will
undoubtedly come to the honest conclusion that, indeed, this government does
not care about the future of the country, but how to enrich themselves and
their descendants.

Even though the government and its protagonists have vehemently denied the
authorship of the document, its contents have been systematically and
strategically implemented by the government.

For instance, page six of the document emphasized the need to have control
of Ecobank and explained that there are two routes of entry into Ecobank.
“First is through SSNIT, which has a seat on the Board of Ecobank Ghana by its
shareholding. The seat is occupied by the Director General of SSNIT.

"In Phase 2 of our agenda, Kofi Bosompem Osafo Maafo, Deputy Director General of SSNIT, should be made the DG to give him the seat on the Ecobank (Ghana) Board.”

This has come to pass.

If one critically analyses the stinking Agyapa deal in relation to the
government’s unflinching determination to actualise it despite the public
outcry, it is evident that the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government is clearly self-
serving to the detriment of the ordinary Ghanaian.

The nature of the Power Distribution Service (PDS) scandal that saw the
government awarding a 25-year concession to its families and cronies to
manage the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is a serious indication of how
the government wants to leave Ghana to itself.

A closer look at the Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) scandal will make any
well-meaning Ghanaian cringe. A comprehensive investigation undertaken by
Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) uncovered numerous irregularities
in the contracts between SML, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA). The report on this scandal is very revealing and nauseating.

All the above scandals have unique and similar patterns, which connote a planned and sustained effort to allocate state resources and all relevant institutions to members of the government and their families to the detriment of the ordinary Ghanaian.

Currently, Ghana has deteriorated in every sector, including healthcare and
education, and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) that were previously making profits are now all making losses as a result of corruption and nepotism.

The declining fortunes of the Produce Buying Companies, Ghana Industrial Holding
Corporation (GIHOC), the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), and the sorry state of
Ghana’s Cocoa Industry are evidence of the unfortunate state of SOEs, and
should be a concern for every concerned Ghanaian.

Voting for the NPP will be an endorsement of this selfish and greedy approach towards willing the state resources and institutions to themselves.

The NDC represents the will and aspirations of most Ghanaians going into the elections; therefore, Ghana in this context refers to the NDC.

We must all take a minute to think about the future of this country and vote against the NPP to stop this state's capture and save Ghana.