At this critical stage of our national development efforts, especially in an election year, when the electorate expect the politicians to engage in positive narratives to change the country’s development trajectory, what comes from the politicians is very depressing.
No concrete and workable alternatives are coming from the opposition NDC whose leaders are preaching regime change. The NDC is engaged in mere sloganeering as whatever it offers as alternative is yet to resonate on the people.
No doubt, the NDC sees nothing wrong with the work ethics of the GRA workers and has decided to back the workers to fight Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia for calling out the GRA workers for stifling national efforts at revenue mobilisation. Whatever comes from the corridors of the NDC has never helped to bring the people together but divide the ranks of the people.
Since the formation of the NDC, the factionalism in the leadership has become very destructive to the extent that some leading members in the party are calling on its leader’s running mate, Grandma Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, to be prepared as “anything can happen.”
The NDC has no faith in its leaders and it does not believe that the country can overcome its challenges. That is why the distinguishing characteristics of the NDC Minority is to back GRA workers for the wrong reason.
The Vice President, in his interactions with the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, did not berate the workers for not working hard but only said in their attempt to meet the unrealistic targets, the GRA workers end up harassing traders. If the GRA workers have “short memories”, as in the words of former President Mahama, we remind them of the hue and cry from spare parts dealers at Abossey Okai in Accra where the officers set up desks to scrutinise the tax compliance of the traders and the road blocks on the Accra-Kumasi highway to recheck payment of duties.
Last year, when the GRA embarked on those activities, it was the government that was criticised, compelling the authorities to call a halt to the unpopular exercise.
At the time we did not hear about this ugly noises coming from the corridors of the GRA Workers’ Union. There must be something fishy here.
And that is nothing but purely politics because this is an election year. Maybe, the GRA Workers did not respond to the late President Mills because it agreed there was corruption at the ports or it was fear of the authority at the time.
Just because Ghanaians have not been angry enough to expose these corrupt GRA officials, they are emboldened to continue those negative acts and have the temerity to publicly challenge the second most powerful man of the land.
We would have no cause to complain if the concerns of the GRA were founded on facts and data. Their challenge is premised on falsehood.
We know that although, the government has oversight over all state institutions, it does not set targets for any workers.
If the GRA workers care to be educated, good corporate governance requires all governing boards to set targets for the heads, while the heads also do same with their subordinates. It appears the GRA workers agree with Vice President Bawumia that their targets are unrealistic, and if they accept that observation, the best thing to do is to engage the Commissioner General instead of their misdirected aggression.
We do not have anything against the GRA workers to express their views in so far as that would help to advance the revenue situation of the country. They are in a very privileged position to work as GRA workers and they should not show disagreement with the Veep because it would deny them personal comforts over the years. We make it clear to the GRA workers that they have struck the wrong cord and thus they have drawn the battle lines.