It is also true that the NDC administration moved a gallon of petrol from GH¢3.69 in 2009 (Ghanabusinessnews.com/energypedia.info, 06/01/2009) to around GH¢18.00 in January 2017(See: Fuel prices increase by about 11%; cityfmonline.com/ghanaweb.com, 05/01/2017).
If you may recollect, former President Kufuor left the currency exchange rate at around GH¢1.20 to 1 U.S dollar in 2009 and the NDC administration dragged it to GH¢4.20 to 1 U.S dollar by December 2016.
The critics would thus argue vehemently that ex-President Mahama and his government’s woeful errors in judgement and alleged corrupt practices resulted in 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 stimulated income-seeking rather than productive activities.
By and large, the critics insist that former President Mahama’s government remains the worst ever in the history of Ghanaian politics.
However, the loyalists of ex-President Mahama are ridiculously holding on to a phantom hope that they could bring him to recapture power in 2020.
Well, some of us are not in a position to offer any advice to Mahama and his teeming supporters, but all that we could venture to state is, judging from the harsh economic conditions Ghanaians experienced during Mahama’s coarse administration, it will take a miracle for discerning Ghanaians to easily forgive and vote Mr. Mahama in 2020.
Given the massive economic mess under his watch, Mr. Mahama should do the right thing by eating humble pie and apologise to the good people of Ghana for wilfully messing up the previously favourable economy.
Dearest reader, tell me; how can Mr. Mahama stand in front of the good people of Ghana to solicit for their votes in 2020 if he cannot see the need to beg discerning Ghanaians for forgiveness for woefully dragging the 14% economic growth in 2011 to a disappointing 3.4% by December 2016?
Does Mr. Mahama really believe that he can manage the economy again when he needlessly raised Ghana’s debt from GH¢9.5 billion in 2009 to an incredible GH¢122.4 billion by December 2016 with a little to show for?
The good people of Ghana cannot so soon forget and forgive Mr. Mahama for the business crippling dumsor in the last five years of the erstwhile NDC administration.
Regrettably, however, in his desperation to solve the problem, the Mahama administration ambivalently signed a superfluous ‘Take or Pay’ Power Purchasing Agreements (PPAs) in which Ghana is needlessly paying over $600 million per year for extra power we do not need.
By gleefully signing the excessive PPAs and entering into ‘Take or Pay’ deal, Ghanaian consumers are unfairly being forced to pay exorbitant electricity tariffs as a result of the Mahama administration’s negligence.
If anything at all, Mr. Mahama should stop taking Ghanaians for granted and ask for forgiveness for terribly collapsing the agricultural sector by reducing the growth from 7.4% in 2012 to a miserable 2.9% by December 2016.
If Mr. Mahama really wants to lead the country again, then he should render an unqualified apology to the good people of Ghana for shrinking Ghana’s GDP from $47 billion in 2011 to $40 billion by December 2016.
Who says that discerning Ghanaians have forgiven Mr. Mahama for recklessly giving out large portions of Ghana’s scarce resources to parasitic creatures?
Former President Mahama should, as a matter of urgency, apologise to discerning Ghanaians for unjustifiably giving apologists like Madam Akua Donkor of Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) two four-wheel drive cars and a luxury bungalow (estimated to cost a staggering $470,000) for no work done.
Why must discerning Ghanaians trust Mr. Mahama again when he flagrantly gave away 58% of Ghana’s bauxite to his cronies on 29th December 2016, just a little over one week before exiting power?
In fact, Mr. Mahama should do the honest thing by apologising on behalf of his brother Ibrahim Mahama for egregiously evading import taxes to the tune of GH¢12 million during his tenure in office.
So ex-President Mahama thinks that Ghanaians have forgiven and forgotten the purported GH¢800 million dubious judgment debt payments, including the GH¢51.2 million to Woyome, $30 million to the Waterville and $325,000 to Isofoton which resulted in the drastic reduction of capital expenditure?
How can discerning Ghanaians be so sure that the alleged misapplied loan facility of $200million which was supposed to provide around 5000 affordable housing units and only provided just under 1500 housing units will not happen again in Mahama’s second term in office?
Is Mahama not concerned about the wilful misappropriation of $175 million loan facility secured in 2012 which was meant to provide seven district hospitals and the NDC hierarchy misapplied on the blind side of Ghanaians?
To be quite honest, some of us would be extremely surprised if Mahama failed to beg Ghanaians for forgiveness before 2020 general elections for surreptitiously diverting $6 million of a government loan facility of $175 million meant to provide seven district hospitals into researching the then governing NDC’schances of winning the 2016 general elections.
Well, Mahama should not think that Ghanaians still suffer from chronic memory loss and therefore cannot recall the over GH¢200 million SADA funds invested on trees which were reported to have burnt down to ashes and the guinea fowls miraculously flew to the nearby Burkina Faso without a trace. How bizarre?
Even though a competent court of jurisdiction has convicted and sentenced two former NDC officials over the embezzled GYEEDA funds meant to provide suitable employment for the youth of Ghana, Mahama must apologise to Ghanaians for superintending over such mess.
Last but not least, ex-President Mahama definitely owes discerning Ghanaians an unconditional apology over the scandalous bus branding, the Brazil World Cup, SUBA, SSNIT, NCA, MASLOC and the Ford Expedition vehicle, amongst others.
From the look of things, unless Mahama decides to render an unqualified apology, the good people of Ghana will continue to ventilate their arousing disgust over his terrible errors in decision making which culminated in harsh socio-economic standards of living.
k.badu2011@gmail.com
By K. Badu, UK.