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Opinions of Thursday, 4 May 2023

Columnist: Joel Savage

NPP politicians should stop blaming Mahama and look into the causes of the party’s failure

New Patriotic Party (NPP) flag New Patriotic Party (NPP) flag

I quite understand the reason many NPP politicians prefer to place the blame for the nation's economic collapse and the hardships currently plaguing Ghanaians on John Mahama, rather than the corrupt, incompetent, and lazy Akufo Addo.

Even though the president has broken his promises and failed in every endeavor since taking office, the administration has never expressed regret to the people because they believe doing so would undermine their authority, reputation and affect the party.

If the NPP politicians would prevent the illiteracy and ignorance that many of them exhibit, they will rather discuss the causes of Akufo Addo's failure as president. Akufo Addo is an opportunist, not a politician, as I have repeatedly emphasized. His false life, personality traits, and behavioral tendencies; reveal exactly who he is. A leader, who likes engaging in immoral activities and shudders at the thought of commitment and responsibility, will never be successful.

Akufo Addo likes money, but never puts forth much effort to earn it. He is the most incompetent, corrupt, and lazy leader Ghana has ever seen. He steals from the people but offers them nothing more than misery and piling on debt and taxes to torture them. Akufo Addo views everything as a business transaction; he exploits people, feeds on rapid satisfaction, and shudders at the thought of commitment and responsibility. These are some of the main explanations behind Akufo Addo's abject failure.

NPP leaders like Richard Ahiagbah, Henry Nana Boakye, and Owusu Bempah, should be informed of this before continuing to blame Mahama, COVID, and the Russian-Ukrainian war for the collapse of the economy. However, I contend that they are either illiterate or ignorant because the economy of the NPP government started to deteriorate long before COVID emerged and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine started. Any ethical journalist in Ghana shouldn't ignore these facts.

It will be noted that, even though I am not an economist, on July 12, 2022, I published the article "Find Out What Triggered The Rapid Collapse Of Ghana's Economy, and Currency Before Blaming COVID-19 And the Russia-Ukraine War." I made it obvious that the NPP government made the worst decision possible when Akufo Addo ordered the Bank of Ghana to print high currency with denominations of 100 and 200, even though Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia claims to be an economist.

Who in the world of business would ever take such a bet on a struggling economy? The NPP government illegally printed money three times without the consent of parliament to inject cash into an already troubled economy. This is one of the reasons I firmly reject Bawumia's claim to be an economist. No reasonable person could expect Ghana to be a successful country with a leader like Akufo Addo, who has no sense of humor, never gives, and always takes, forcing everything, including his leadership and the implementation of taxes on Ghanaians, while the government has failed in creating jobs.

The Akufo Addo family has a by-force philosophy because they are not academic intellectuals. Ken Ofori-Atta, the finance minister, was repeatedly asked to step down for this reason, but he has resisted doing so up to this point. I find it incomprehensible that someone like Owusu Bempah would criticize Mahama while ignoring the man who brought about the nation's and its economy's collapse.

If Ghana doesn't have a competent, capable leader who is willing to recover all the stolen or embezzled funds that have harmed the economy and our currency, no amount of money the International Monetary Fund can provide will work its magic and make the land flowing with milk and honey. How reasonable is a Ghanaian to not demand an answer from the government regarding the $430 million in COVID help and $903 million in financial aid that the World Bank provided to Ghana?

To support public financial reforms, the World Bank has given Ghana a total of $903 million, according to Pierre Frank Laporte, the country's director in Ghana. He continued, "Any development institution has never granted a large sum of money for a country for a year. So, instead of asking Akufo Addo where the money is, the NPP politicians blame Mahama for the decline of Ghana's economy. More importantly, how do Ghanaians anticipate the nation will function following the failure of several banking institutions?

Akufo Addo committed to protecting the public coffers, but he instead engaged in widespread corruption and embezzlement that contributed to debt without disclosing to Ghanaians the purpose of the funds. Therefore, if individuals like Nana B, Owusu Bempah, Bawumia, Ahiagbah, Akufo Addo, and Odike will blame Mahama for the appalling state of our nation, then they require psychiatric care. There has been enough money lost as a result of widespread corruption and inefficiency.

Akwasi Addai Odike claims that Mahama's excessive borrowing and investment in educational projects that don't provide any financial returns; caused the economic mess. I'm not sure if Odike said that because should provide clever conversation subjects if he wants to be noticed. Mahama borrowed and invested in education and several projects, many of the uncompleted were abandoned by the current government. Where is the money Akufo Addo borrowed, please Odike? This should be your question if you are intelligent.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm not a tribal bigot who would support any government that is wreaking havoc on our nation. I don't know how long Ghanaians will wait before realizing that their country is dead and that the only person who can bring it back to life is a wise leader with knowledge of how to run a country and implement policies that would eventually help it escape its dire economic situation. No other nation in the world has a finance minister being a cousin or related to the president; this is what led to the downfall of our country.

Your president, Owusu Bempah, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo’s criminal activities have affected the nation. He has been linked to illegal mining and gold dealing. Why are all the NPP politicians silent on this matter yet almost crucified Mahama over trivial offenses? What is thrown out is thrown back, anyone who creates a pit for someone they want to destroy in this world will eventually fall into that pit themselves. The pit Akufo Addo created for Mahama is now the source of his anguish.

The debt restructuring is pointless psychological torment since the IMF is not foolish to provide financial support to a government that is so utterly compromised and useless. More importantly, Ghana will suffer greatly from the lack of both domestic and foreign investments because no intelligent investor or businessman would want to conduct business. Akufo Addo once said that African leaders should stop blaming their colonial overlords for their misfortune; the NPP government should also stop blaming Mahama for its misfortune and incompetence.