A rejoinder to Nana Addo hits at NDC government.

At the recent launch of the new newspaper, the Thunder, Nana Akuffo Addo is alleged to have asked the NDC government to rise up to the task of meeting the needs of ordinary Ghanaians, criticising the Government’s relentless focus on financial stability.

I was totally surprised to hear an ex-presidential candidate, of a party which says that financial stability is the cornerstone of national development, say that financial stabilisation is not as important as a national economic programme. At a time when global financial markets are still reeling from a year of turbulence, when western governments such as Britain, USA, Germany and France have all had to inject billions of dollars to prop up their economies, it defies belief that a statesman of Nana Akuffo Addo’s calibre chose to make those comments. What is Akufo Addo talking about?

Perhaps, Akuffo Addo’s call on the Government to cure Ghana without diagnosis confirms the accusation that he is ‘by heart’ and weak at economic management or it is just a lack of appreciation of the very serious financial challenge facing our country and indeed the entire world. I am glad we have a president and minister of finance with a more considered approach to managing the economy. Needless to say that if Nana wants to find out why our economy is sick he shouldn’t look further than the 8 years of the NPP administration of which he was the defacto number two man, when he spent most of the time following Kuffour round the world instead of staying at home to manage the economy and create opportunities for all Ghanaians.

Had he stayed at home, Akuffo Addo would have noticed the irresponsible spending going on all over the place- some of which were off balance sheet and unreported to parliament.

Had he stayed at home and demonstrated any of the courage that his supporters say he has instead of keeping quiet just to get elected, he would have noticed how TOR was being run to the ground, how BOST was being saddled with mountains of debt, the corruption in high places and the lack of accountability across several institutions and district assemblies.

Where was the `brave` Akuffo Addo when his government was ordering 2 presidential jets at a time when school children were sitting under trees? Where was he when the presidential palace was being built with a fathom budget, at the time when our national hospitals were struggling without doctors and medicines? Where was the brave Akuffo Addo when land belonging to the government including that belonging to the ministry of foreign affairs of which he was the minister, was being sold to party cronies? Where was he when pregnant women were being nursed on floors of our hospitals while his party was lavishing billions on elections?

Since when did Akuffo Addo develop any concern for ordinary Ghanaians? For 8 years his party preached and practiced trickle-down politics- that rich businessmen should be assisted to make money so that through their profits and generosity the benefits will trickle down to the poor. Can Nana tell us what actually trickled down to ordinary Ghanaians? If it did how come in less than 8 months Ghanaians are already suffering? Yes Ghana’s economy has been sick because for the past 8 years, the NPP failed to take full advantage of the opportunity offered it by the Ghanaian electorate to build on the progress we had made as a nation. Instead, it focused on making a few people rich while the vast masses of the people suffered. How did ordinary Ghanaians benefit from the most expensive political campaign we have ever seen? Whose money funded that campaign?

The Thunder should: ‘name and shame mediocrity and incompetence, praise and encourage the upholders of integrity, political morality, selfless patriotism and competence’. Good advice Nana. But where were you when your people were chopping our money waa waa and Ghanaians were wallowing in poverty? Did you hear of Ghana@50 Nana? Why didn’t you name and shame them? The economy of Ghana has not just become ill. Throughout your 8 years in Government there were ordinary Ghanaians across the country who could not get 3 square meals a day, had no decent public facilities, had no access to good drinking water. All this time your party cronies were depleting the country’s scant resources through over-bloated public sector contracts, mismanagement, reckless spending and sharing of government assets. That is why the economy is sick. That is why the NDC government is busy trying to inject some discipline into the system, so that your party’s waa waa doesn’t lead us into an economic precipice. That is why is we are lucky, at this important moment in time, to have the calmness and steady hand of for Atta Mills. These turbulent times call for calmness and purposefulness.

Clearly, it is easy for Akuffo Addo to criticise, perhaps as someone said recently, the NPP are good at opposition. Yet when they get the opportunity to govern, they only think about themselves, not about the ordinary masses. When party cronies are chopping money waa waa we need Nana Akuffo Addo to show some courage to tackle the corruption in his own backyard. Once he has shown some courage in fighting corruption within his party, we would be very happy to listen to him. For now we will say Nana spare us our ears, you have no balls.

Odzidzator, Alfred Donkor alfreddon2@yahoo.co.uk