Politics of Saturday, 1 September 2012

Source: todaygh.com

‘Ahobrasehene does not fit Mahama’ - PPP

The Progressive People’s Party has dared ruling National Democratic Congress’ faithful over the ‘Ahobreasehene’ compliment being accorded President John Dramani Mahama, describing the President as unfit for the title.

“The point is that, President John Mahama is a direct opposite of the Late President Atta Mills. They are two different entities. One of them, the late President Mills demonstrated his humility practically and earned the title, ‘Asomdwehene.’

The two individuals are not the same. ‘Ahobrasehene’ does not fit John Mahama,” the PPP stated unequivocally in a statement signed by its National Youth Organiser, Divine Nkrumah, in Accra yesterday.

The statement in response to the endorsement of President John Mahama as the NDC 2012 flag bearer in Kumasi last Thursday, viewed the move by the NDC as a whole as a mistake knowing that John Mahama has failed to live up to the attributes of a leader, calling it a mere “embellishment of a weak vehicle.”

The party is of the strong conviction that people who have expressed interest in contesting for the topmost position of this land be scrutinized and critically examined to know whether they are fit for the job, credible enough and ultimately, incorruptible.

According to the PPP, “President Mahama has tried to will youth on himself and even at a time we had not buried our late President, something that led many to begin questioning his hurriedness to become President. We hear many NDC folks argue that they have a youthful flag bearer who they consider as energetic and strength. It may true that he is energetic and strong in some aspects of human enterprise but not in political governance. Youthful exuberance is not analogous to astuteness or competence.”

It relayed its point by saying that President John Mahama has always been the acting president since 2009 because at the time when NDC assumed power in 2009, late President John Mills ceded almost every salient aspect of governance to him for reasons best known them.

“President Mahama even admitted in his tribute to the late President Mills that he was grateful to him for having given him so much responsibility which allowed him to chair key sectors of government to steer affairs of this country. President John Mahama has always been in Charge of this regime.”

Against this backdrop, the statement queried: “was he not heading the Police Council when security issues in the country went into disarray? Was he not the one who saw to the collapse of Ghana’s economy which contributed to the reduction in the still struggling value of the Cedi when he was the head of economic management team?”

It continued that “was he not the same person going around commissioning uncompleted projects which the NDC unashamedly claims credit for? Was it not the same John Mahama who championed the bad STX Korea Housing deal tainted with all manner of allegations of wrongdoing? Is he not the intolerant one who used the word ‘baloney’ to try to wish away critics of STX? Is this not the same Mahama who called religious, political and civic leaders ‘useless’ for making suggestions about the burial of our late President? Where is the ‘Ahobrase’?” The party therefore postulated that the NDC was deceiving Ghanaians with someone who was already known.

“The way to go is for us to pour new wine into new wineskins. We are simply tired of the old tricks,” the party lamented reiterating that “the endorsement of President Mahama is a mere re-spraying of an unrepaired broken vehicle which will not take us anywhere.”

The party echoed that it believes that the best person qualified for this topmost job of the land is Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom who has an enviable demonstrable record both in the private and public sectors in Ghana.