John Mahama
In seasons such as this as we inch towards the 2024 electioneering, we media people recollect with nostalgia the fiery write-ups of PAV Ansah.
When incensed by the political gaffes of late President Jerry John Rawlings and his NDC, he would serve notice of going to town with his columns in sections of the newspapers.
These days the flagbearer of the NDC, former President John Mahama is always provoking us with his consistently “inconsistent” Same Old Mahama (SOS) persona that shows that he has not learnt any new thing in opposition. Perhaps, he also suffers from the “illness” of forgetfulness he accused Ghanaians of during the run-up to the 2016 polls.
If that were not the case, he would not be raising same issues now or contradicting himself and the NDC on major policy directions.
We are very sure his PR friends in the media, academia, civil society and religious circles would stop hailing him as a “Messiah” but a disaster soon to dawn on the NDC.
Have these group of people heard him rationalise his reason for cancelling the teacher and nursing trainees allowances? The latest reasons he is giving for cancelling the allowances are quite different from the ones he gave while in the saddle as President.
That was not all; while in the Western North recently, he told the chiefs that if he won next year’s elections he would restore the “dignity” and powers of chiefs. Perhaps, he has forgotten about a man called Nana Agyei Ampofo, former Goaso Omanhene and a member of the Council of State when John Mahama was in government.
Recently, he challenged the Attorney General and the National House of Chiefs in the Supreme Court raising the unconstitutionality of the law that made the failure to attend to an invitation by a chief an offence.
Mr. Mahama, if you are not aware, we remind you about the actions of Nana Agyei Ampofo, a known NDC sympathiser whose actions reduced the “dignity” and powers of chiefs.
As for us we do not have issues with Nana Agyei Ampofo in so far as his actions help to expand the frontiers of the rule of law.
Mr. Mahama, let us give you some good advice. In the NDC Secretariat, there are officers who can tell you whether your messages are resonating, if only you are not the “Lion King” that Speaker Bagbin complained about during your last presidency.
We have reminded Ghanaians to watch John Mahama and his NDC closely because they are walking contradictions. Challenged by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the governing NPP, Mr. John Mahama is compelled to throw in anything as his campaign message, hence the 24-hour economy to rival the ever popular digital economy.
Interesting days ahead for the clash of titans, one a former President and the other the Vice President. Really, there is no basis for comparison but as flagbearers, Ghanaians want to know their views, not fine communication but pragmatic policies.
Now, already faced with an uphill task of getting the people to repose their trust in him, listen to what John Mahama told nursing trainees in Sefwi Wiawso last weekend.
Again, John Mahama displays cognitive dissonance by attempting a lame rationalisation for his decision to abolish the allowances for trainee teachers and nurses. Now he wants the nursing trainees and Ghanaians to buy in his explanation that he cancelled the allowances to accrue money to build more health infrastructure. John Mahama, is that you who claims to have learnt from your mistakes? Do you remember telling Ghanaians that your government cancelled the allowances in order to migrate the nursing and teacher trainees onto the students’ loans scheme?
Our former President Mahama must be suffering from “forgetful amnesia” that his party must deal with to avert a looming disaster in 2024.