General News of Friday, 14 September 2012

Source: The New Free Press

Editorial: President John Mahama is just not serious

The New Free Press welcomes the appointments by the President Mahama of a campaign team to fight and win the next elections, however we are surprised with the Presidents line up as it is made up of individuals whose track record since the NDC came to power has been a litany of corruption and abject failure. For the President to name Johnson Aseidu Nketia, a man currently supplying blocks to the Bui Dam and milking the state by apportioning himself classroom block contracts ,a man who insults pastors and church leaders and who called former President Jerry Rawlings a barking dog is a slap in the face of Ghanaians and NDC members for that matter. It shows President Mahama is happy to persist with the same old corrupt elements and greedy bastards Ex President Rawlings had been lamenting against.

Dr Omane Boamah, deputy minister who was an abject failure at environment and is only good at coming out with rhetorics, has bought himself a four bedroom house in Chicago, Illinois in the USA. He also spent millions of cedis buying houses in East Legon and has bought 3 Petrol filling stations at Madina and is currently building a hotel in Tema. How can this man defend the NDC corner when he has done nothing as a minister except to amass wealth?

The least said about Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, the Deputy Minister of Local Government, the better. The man who got the late president Mills to run 100 metres like Usain Bolt at the Kotoka International Airport and went round radio stations telling Ghanaians the late President was fit. A man who has been accused of influencing the electoral commission and fostering gerrymandering tactics in the creation of new constituencies. He also must answer questions about his involvement in te distribution of 16 million Ghana cedis worth of MASLOC loans which have not been accounted for since 2011.

Hannah Tetteh, Minister for trade and Industry will do well to account for her stewardship before she starts mobilizing her propaganda rubble to start their lies all over again. This woman has avoided meeting the press to tell Ghanaians what she has been doing as a minister for the last three years. Under her stewardship businesses are paying the highest tax rates since independence,20% increases year on year since 2009. We are also concerned with the way she has managed credit lines at the ministry. Currently The Ministry cannot account for a 10 million dollar loan facility from the European Union Central Bank to rehabilitate Bonded warehouses. You signed on behalf of the government of Ghana Miss Tetteh !Where is the money ?

President John Mahama must do more than naming a corrupt bunch of individuals to convince Ghanaians and his own party members he is serious to win the next election. Being a President is about being your own man ad not taking instructions from Totobi Quakyi, Kofi Awoonor,Ato Ahwoi and Kojo Tsikata who are dinosaurs of the past.

Suraju Musah Mohammed
Managing Editor
The New Free Press
Kotobabi Abavana Down
Accra