John Mahama
Former President John Dramani Mahama has claimed there is what he calls “a crisis of confidence in the political leadership” in the country.
He said that after over four decades, “our economy and democracy are in dire straits,” adding that “economic hardship, insecurity, political and ethnic polarisation, deepening inequality, politicisation of our democratic institutions, corruption, serious problems in the education and health sectors are challenges Ghanaians are confronted with in our daily lives.”
Subtle Jab
He also signed off his statement by throwing a subtle jab at his opponents, appearing to say that the government was not tolerating dissenting views.
“We must encourage freedom of thought and expression rather than a culture of hypocrisy and silence,” he said.
Curious Observation
Curiously, the former President was not present at the commemoration of the June 4 anniversary held in Accra and was rather celebrating it on social media, throwing jabs at his opponents.
NDC gurus like Prof. Joshua Alabi, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Hudu Yahaya, Kofi Attor, Dr. Alfred Okoe Vanderpuye, Fritz Barffuor, Anita Desoso, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah and some chiefs all joined Dr. Zenator Rawlings, daughter of the late Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, to mark the occasion.
In a Facebook post commemorating the June 4, 1979 uprising, the former President said that “Ghana is a country with exceptional human talent. Time is ticking fast and yet we can make things right if we work as one nation with a common destiny. As I have said in the past, broad consultations and consensus building does not take anything away from a leader.”
Free SHS
The former President appeared to sulk once again over the Free SHS policy introduced by the Akufo-Addo-led NPP government and complained about how the initiative, which has seen over a million teenagers accessing secondary education free of charge, is being handled.
He said that “broad consultations that bring the best and brightest together with stakeholders can forge consensus around issues such as economic recovery strategy, or implementational challenges of Free SHS in the national interest.”
“The values June 4 espoused some four decades ago, remain as relevant today as ever before in our nation’s democratic journey. June 4 engendered hope in our people that the ills of our society would be rooted out and replaced with values of virtue and honesty,” he said, adding “If we must get our people to hope again and to trust in our institutions and government, then we must encourage “fearless honesty” as enjoined by our national anthem.
Rawlings Factor
Mr. Mahama said that the June 4 celebration was being marked without the key architect of the revolution, former President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings who passed on last year and was buried early this year.
“He was a key influence on Ghana’s history for the two decades straddling the late 70s till year 2000. The June 4 Uprising was an epochal event that represents a major landmark in our nation’s existence. Together with its sister event, the 31st December Revolution, the two shaped the course of Ghana’s history, resulting in a turnaround in Ghana’s economic fortunes and the advent of the Fourth Republic.”
He said, “We must embrace and be guided by truth, transparency, probity and accountability – principles that have been bequeathed unto us, which are the bedrock upon which our nation, undoubtedly, will become great, strong, resilient and prosperous.”
By Ernest Kofi Adu