My soul bleeds and my spirits sag within me as I see our dear nation being led into socio-economic destruction. The economy is almost kaput. Ghana, which had been put on the trajectory of socio-economic transformation by the previous New Patriotic Party administration through the exhibition of extraordinary leadership is now almost on the brink of collapse. The hope some of the citizenry had after the National Democratic Congress assumed the reigns of governance of the country has been fizzled out as a result of glaring mismanagement of our scarce and fleeting resources. The NDC has demonstrated through their failed policies and incompetence that they are the worst thing that has ever happened to the country. President Mills and his administration have shown that governance is no kid’s play, and their abysmal performance has put Ghanaians in a position to think deeply before electing their leaders in future elections.

Why is NDC desperately and willfully wasting our resources? Why are they doing this to us? What was the sense in the press conference organized by the Ministry of Information, at the expense of the taxpayer on a judgment debt wherein no wrong was committed? Why is the government doing this to us? Do they take us for fools? Why should they waste the nation’s resources on a worthless press conference purported to stain the astute standard-bearer of the NPP—Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, only to turn round and exonerate him? We pay huge taxes monthly, only for them to be dissipated by a reckless and prodigal administration. When you have boys ruling, while the elected president is sitting on the fence, then you should not expect any better governance that benefits the people.

The country deserves better than what we are witnessing under this moribund administration. We are sick and tired of an administration that does nothing, except engaging in petty politics, in-fighting, and propaganda at the expense of development. We elect leaders to provide us with quality leadership, improve our standard of living, protect the people, the nation, and her scarce resources; but surprisingly, the NDC, apart from their bad governance, is dissipating our resources through corruption to the detriment of posterity. Why are they doing this to us? What wrong have we committed to merit this recklessness and incompetence from an administration that we queued in the scorching sun to vote for?

The NDC government has no clue in transforming the country—which is bestowed with enormous human and natural resources. Under the Mills-Mahama administration, majority of Ghanaians are reeling under unprecedented economic hardships—which have been occasioned by glaring incompetence and unprecedented corruptions. Under the President Mills’ administration, corruption has become a cherished enterprise being enjoyed by some of his greedy officials. This is a government that uses the payment of judgment debts and settlement claims as a facade to steal from the national kitty. Is it not strange that after being in government for close to four years, the President Mills’ administration has not introduced a single policy to address the numerous problems that the citizenry are experiencing? Maybe, to them payment of fraudulent judgment debts/settlement claims is a policy that makes it possible for them to wickedly siphon our moneys into their pockets.

Governments are formed to solve problems confronting the citizenry, but it appears the NDC government is only interested in satisfying their selfish and parochial interests. They seem interested and engulfed deeply in fraudulently lining their pockets with our scarce resources. The NDC government is the only administration that I have known throughout the world that openly defends foreign companies against their own country. Why are they doing this to us? Do they do this to get a cut at the expense of the poor taxpayer? In fact, the deputy Chief of Staff—Alex Segbefia and the deputy Attorney General, Barton Odro—who are very close to President Mills religiously justified the fraudulent payments made to Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyome. What is strange about this case is that these two individuals are still at post. As long as they remain at post, nobody can convince me about the incorruptibility of President Mills. How could an incorruptible leader dismiss an Attorney General who was fighting against fraud and corruption perpetrated against the State by unscrupulous officials in government with their private accomplices?

Again, a deputy Information Minister—Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa— has been recently exposed for fronting for a foreign company—ISOFOTON by Mr. Martin Amidu—a former Attorney General and Minister for Justice—who was relieved of his job for exposing the rot and ingrained corruption among some officials of the President Mills’ government. According to the revered former Attorney General—who also revealed that he has provided the names of some members of his government who are believed to be accomplices in the Woyomegate scandal to the president—who has deliberately and shockingly failed to act, Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa pleaded with him on phone to suffer payments to be made to ISOFOTON, a plea he rejected. Can you imagine? If we were to have an active president, do you think this could happen?

Ever since the NDC assumed the reigns of governance of this nation, the plight of the people has deteriorated to the extent that industrial actions have become the order of the day. This is an administration that has failed to provide jobs for the numerous unemployed youth in the country. A lot of graduates from our tertiary institutions are desperately seeking non-existing jobs. Under the Kufour administration, the private sector was given a boost, the service sector was expanded, the agricultural sector was given a priority, among others.

These sectoral transformations by the NPP administration led to the quadrupling of the economy with its associated jobs for job-seekers. Before the NPP government was given the mandate to rule in 2001, most graduates were always worried and anxious before leaving school. This was because the private sector was virtually crippled and graduates had to struggle for non-existing jobs in the public sector. But, during the Kufour era, most of our graduates as a result of the expansion of the private sector got the rare opportunity to obtain jobs in the banking, telecommunication, and tertiary sectors of the economy. For the first time in our history, the base of the middle class widened.

What we are seeing under the President Mills’ administration is a direct reversal of what happened under the Kufour administration. Under President Mills, rising cost of living, soaring unemployment, insecurity, lawlessness, arbitrary rule, depreciation of the cedi, and unprecedented corruption are the legacies that define his stewardship. In fact, President Mills has succeeded in putting the country on the wheel of retrogression. Folks, for the sake of the protection and the prudent management of our scarce resources, we don’t have many options at our disposal. The earlier we get rid of the President Mills’ failed administration during the December 7 elections, the better and safer the future of the nation would be. God bless Ghana!

Source: Kingsley Nyarko, Psychologist, Accra (kingsleynyarko73@yahoo.com)