Why Bawumia shouldn’t take anti-corruption and incompetence lessons from Mahama (II)

We cannot deny or ignore the fact that the squeamishly cyclical corrupt practices amongst the political elites have unfortunately been resulting in massive economic meltdown amid excessive public spending, less efficient tax system, needless high public deficit and destabilization of national budgets, heightened capital flight and the creation of perverse incentives that stimulate income-seeking rather than productive activities.

Thus, the Western leaders cannot stand accused of harbouring inherent racist tendencies for honestly pointing accusing fingers at the African leaders for their incompetence and corrupt practices which have culminated in our underdevelopment.

Unfortunately, the available evidence speaks for itself and therefore it is about time we put the men and women who want to lead under strict scrutiny to avert the never-ending shenanigans.

While the Mahama praise singing bandwagon is gleefully clamouring for his return to the Jubilee House, the concerned Ghanaians believe that it would be extremely catastrophic if Mahama was to reclaim the presidency, given the dreadful errors in judgement which led to the business crippling dumsor amid massive economic collapse(dragged 14% economic growth in 2011 to 3.4%, and 15.4% inflation in 2016) in the absence of the deadly coronavirus and Russia/Ukraine protracted conflict.

While it is true that the 1992 Constitution of Ghana gives every sound adult Ghanaian the right to compete for the president of the country, it is quite erroneous for anybody to create the false impression that someone who ascended to the presidency previously, albeit voted out in 2016 and rejected again in 2020 and puzzlingly seeking a return to the high position cannot be scrutinised.

The crucial question we should be asking the diehard supporters of former President Mahama is: if the former president indeed lived up to the expectations, why did over one million voters vote him out in 2016 and was rejected massively again in 2020?

In all this, the loyalist NDC supporters would want discerning Ghanaians to believe that the erstwhile Mahama administration dutifully provided exceptional governance.

Dear reader, tell me, if a vague comprehension of patriotism does not exist in the minds of many Ghanaians, what is it?

Indeed, Many Ghanaians prefer needless praise singing to defending the national interests.

Unfortunately, we, Ghanaians, and Africans as a whole are possessed with kowtowing characteristic of a sordid mind that hates anything quality and rather prefer to worship mediocrity.

Thus, our manipulating leaders, having first-hand knowledge of our obsequious compliance or grovelling deference and hero-worshipping gimmicks, continue to take us for granted and provide mediocre leadership and services.

If that was not the case, how on earth would former President John Dramani Mahama consider returning to the presidency given the apparent abysmal performance during his tenure in office?

And, even more so, it is quite ironic to keep hearing and reading the NDC loyalists flimsy excuses that the loyalists of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) maliciously lied about NDC’s incompetence and corrupt practices and deceptively pledged juicy, albeit unachievable Manifesto promises which led to their 2016 and 2020 landslide victories.

With all due respect with no hidden condescension whatsoever, the teeming supporters of NDC must engage in a carefully considered reflection and accept the painful fact that their dreadful errors in judgement which unfortunately sent Ghana’s economy deeper and deeper into the mire to some large extent, cost them the 2016 and 2020 elections and not the supposedly ‘wicked’ lies put out by their opponents.

The fact, however, remains that the rot in the erstwhile NDC administration was as pervasive as the odour of garlic, which led to some diehard supporters emitting their displeasure and threatening to boycott the 2016 election.

In Mahama’s time in office, the previously single-digit inflation and budget deficit doubled astronomically.

Ghana’s economic growth slowed for the fourth consecutive year to an estimated 3.4% in 2015 from 4% in 2014 as energy rationing (dumsor), high inflation, and ongoing fiscal consolidation weighed on economic activity (World Bank, 2016).

In addition, the high inflation rate remained elevated at 18.5% in February 2016 compared to 17.7% in February 2015, even after the Central Bank’s 500 bps policy rate hikes (the inflation stood at 15.4% as of October 2016).

If you may remember, leading to the 2020 general elections, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) reported that former President John Dramani Mahama was going to find it extremely difficult to convince discerning Ghanaians into accepting that he is the preferable manager of Ghana’s economy, given the country’s fairly strong economic growth under Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration before the pernicious coronavirus.

Back then, I passionately questioned the judgement of those who were proclaiming somewhat brashly that Ghana’s economy under former President Mahama (3.4% growth and 15.4% inflation) was better than Akufo-Addo/Bawumia record before the insidious coronavirus (8.6% growth and 7.5% inflation).

Suffice it to emphasise that before the deadly coronavirus, Bawumia dutifully assisted Akufo-Addo and raised Ghana’s economic growth from 3.4% to 8.6%.

It was Bawumia who admirably assisted Akufo-Addo and within a short space of time reversed the inflation from 15.4% to 7.5%.

Interestingly, in the first two years of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration, the Agriculture sector recorded the highest growth rate of 8.4%.

Indeed, the Agriculture sector expanded from a growth rate of 3.0 percent in 2016 to 8.4 percent in 2017 (GSS, 2018).

The Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration, before the unspeakable coronavirus, recorded the highest growth rate of 16.7 % in the Industry sector.

The Industry sector, the highest-growing sector with a GDP share of 25.5 percent, had its growth rate increasing from -0.5 percent in 2016 to 16.7 percent in 2017 (GSS, 2018).

I would, therefore, like to conclude that former President Mahama did not work his socks off but only managed to undo all the excellent performances put in by his predecessors.