A Letter to President John Mahama

“After a successful completion of his first Coup d'état book, a few days later he was sworn in as the President of the republic after his boss demise per the constitution, and then after a few weeks he gets an overwhelming majority endorsement from the NDC,” Ernest Kofi Owusu-Bempah Bonsu.

Mr. President welcome to office. Long-conceived dream come through. You marshaled your strategies well and it’s played out well. Just little skirmishes which nearly exposed you earlier: your printed t’ shirts at the Atiwa bye-election and Facebook fun-page promoting you as the candidate for 2012 until your fatwa, Stan Dogbe, came out and watered it down. Yet you stood on your grounds. And knew the end of the road – not even Chairman Rawlings, Dr. Kwabena Adjei, and the Ahwois had an idea about your game plan.

Upon Prof. Mills’s demise, it was crystal clear you put together all your arsenals, and huddled into a fully blown political rainmaker. You were more political than sorrowful, super busy, and faster than sprinter Usain Bolt revving your high-profile political ambition. You wasted no time and breath launching yourself into a mainstream campaign – laced with your communication prowess. From A-Z, you commingled the mourning of your predecessor with a big-deal politics.

You went on television to thank the entire nation after the grand funeral. That wasn’t enough; you’re not satisfied. Instead of sitting down and get the deplorable country running, you and your larger-than-life entourage – spent a great deal of time – literally prowled the entire country and beyond howling and campaigning dubbed “Thank You Tour” draining the nation’s penniless coffers. No wrongdoing.

Now, the storm has settled. And you’ve three months to perform magic.

Your tepid speech delivery on Tuesday, September 04, in marking the traditional 40th day celebration of the death of President John Evans Atta Mills, which also outlined the policy misdirection of your government, was extremely unimpressive. Mr. President, you can’t take such myopic performance to an international platform (i.e. UN). No wonder you didn’t touch on foreign policy.

Your NDC government has put the country in a deep hole. Find a way of lifting it from that deep hole. The economy is in zilch (the cedi is in a free-fall, the rate of unemployment is crazily high; prices of goods and services are abnormally high); civil servants have been embarking on incessant strike actions; the education system is failing; the health system is in jeopardy; unprecedented judgment debt settlement for no job done. Ghana is now a debt-swollen entitlement society. The country is strangely divided under your government. Countrymen have lost faith in the political system of the country. No foreign-based Ghanaian speaks well about your governance. In the face of the fancy-saying bumper sticker slogan "better Ghana agenda," today, the NDC government can't even say Ghanaians are better off. Over the Atlantic Ocean, vulnerable denizens are bleeding; I could feel torrid hell heat and the unbearable pains. These factual assessments are brutal.

Where is the oil money?

China loan zealot, discerning Ghanaians expected you to have given them the accounts of your stewardship. Not trying to inveigle with “age” games. By their deeds we shall know them. And the good people know your deeds. Something you cannot run away from. Not even your communication skills can save you. You really don’t mean what you say. You played with the minds of the Northerners with “SADA.” Today, you can’t even tell them or show the account number of that 2008 promised project. You again promised and touted a “one-time premium” for NHIS. This too, hasn’t materialized. Your party promised “drastic reduction” of fuel prices, but today, even with our own oil in commercial quantities, there is “drastic” increment in fuel prices. The NDC anti-Ghana ideas has failed and ripped off the country. Four more years will be worse! Your government’s bad ideas have got the country this disaster. There is no way you can convince the people to stick to this mess. Clearly, your failed-government has shown that our best days are behind us. After almost a full term, no one believes anything your government says about the economy, education, health, and the oil etc.

You’re an enemy to the poor, students, civil servants, farmers and etc. If people do their homework well, they’ll find out the truth; there will be more informed electorates and, one hopes, better government.

Are you comfortable with your party’s National Organizer Yaw Boateng Gyan’s mysterious secret tape? Or is it your recipe for the presidency? It will be a political tragedy if you win.

Simply put: your government lacks integrity.

Are you short of prudent vibes; bereft of ideas and vision? Shifting the debate on age prompted a good friend to tweet on Facebook: “Only in my beloved Ghana where we take forever to mature is a person born in 1958 referred to as youthful. Our president is over half a century old.....but I guess in a country where newspapers report stories about "two boys aged 21 & 23", 54 is possibly the new 30.”

Think of what you can do for your country, but not what you want the country to make you: President!

Reminder: The Sunyani Congress joke: Tika, Taka, and Gangale joke. Now, you are going to the market in solo. In the joke you told Ghanaians that going to the market alone will ultimately result in a loss!

Why do you need Mr. Rawlings from the bullpen – if you have done an impressive job?

The over dominance of your Chinese allies in the country is just frightening, and Ghanaians have vowed to take back their country, and send you to somewhere to do something else – to manage MTN.

Four more years will do more damage to the country.

Jerry Amponsah (Sabbato)

Communications Directorate

NPP-New York