The lean & mean gov’t hoax

: NDC’s weekend of car shows

The National Democratic Congress, which made noise about a lean and lean political administration to save costs but ended up putting up several dozens of Ministers and pushing up in the process, administrative costs, has again reneged on another campaign promise to drastically reduce the number of vehicles in the motorcade of the Presidency.

Not only has the NDC lied to the people and reneged on the promise to cut down on the number of vehicles in the motorcade of the Presidency, it has enhanced with impunity the number by far.

Barely 100 days in office, both President John Evans Atta Mills and Vice-President John Mahama were caught this Easter period 'rollicking' in a motorcade of over 30 4-wheel drives - with John Mahama showing off some 17 vehicles during a trip to the North to attend a Gonja Youth Meeting, and J E A Mills pulling behind him, like toys, 15 vehicles to the Eastern Region.

John Mahama's 17-vehicle convoy trip from Accra through Bole to Wa turned political instead of social all along the way.

In the case of JEA Mills, The Statesman learnt, he was 'visiting' in the Region.

Around the same time, the two Presidents were dragging along the nearly three dozen vehicles, NDC leading members and Young Turks, were seen showing off Saturday, posh Bentleys, BMWs and other expensive 4-wheel vehicles at the Polo Grounds near the Kotoka International Airport, dressed in expensive designer T-shirts, jeans and shoes or sneakers.

The meeting, which was a charity event intended at raising funds to fight cancer in Ghana, turned an opportunity for the Young Turks in the party to show of their fleet of expensive, luxury cars, whose prices are in the $200,000 range.

Bentleys are the preserve of the privileged few in society like the Saudi Princes and royals or businessmen in affluent America and the Queen"s household in Britain.

It is, in a way, the modern version of the Rolls Royce. The show of opulence on the part of the NDC's nouveau riche politicians is aside of the case of Eastern Regional Minister Sam Ofosu Ampofo, whose jolly train to Kwahu this weekend for Easter cost the nation at least 5 four wheel drives and a police escort.

He was on his way to represent the President at the celebration to mark 50 years since the ascension of the Nkwatiahene, Nana Atuobi IV. Registration numbers of the cars used by these Young Turks, including John Mahama"s younger brother, Ibrahim Mahama, who was attending the charity event, has been withheld

Also present at the charity ball was businessman Yaw Boakye, son of late business man Boakye Mattress.

Statesman’s intelligence sources say commuters along the Airport route, for instance, embarrassed by the show of opulence, took photographs of the NDC members’ brazen acts of political and aristocratic show-off on their mobile phones for release to friends and some media houses.

John Mahama, recently attending the funeral of Komla Dumor’s mother, was seen riding one of such expensive cars - the Bentley.