The Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Richard Ahiagbah has described the New Year address by former President John Dramani Mahama as desperate, uninspiring, and unconvincing.
In his view, the former President came off as rusty.
“He couldn’t or refused to distinguish the role of Vice President and President. It is factually inaccurate to say Bawumia’s economic mismanagement. Bawumia is not the President. The other inaccuracy is the claim that this economy has been mismanaged.
“That view amounts to a misrepresentation of the facts. John Mahama must tell Ghanaians the truth about the cause or causes of the present economic difficulties. The fact is that, the global economy is struggling due to the grave impact of Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine War.
“These are facts that the former President should not have glossed over because understanding the problem is part of the solution. Perhaps it is time to hang it up Sir!,” Mr Ahiagbah wrote on X.
The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the forthcoming presidential election said among other things in his address that he is passionate about the fight against corruption and uprooting poor governance to ensure that the country’s resources are used “responsibly and ethically.”
“I firmly believe a transparent and accountable government is essential for building trust and confidence in our institutions. We will hold to account, members of this administration who have abused the public trust by misconducting themselves in office,” he said in a New Year message delivered on January 3.
The former President promised to reduce the size of government in order to cut down on expenditure.
“We will combine ministries and remove government agencies that are duplicating each other. In other words, we in government will tighten our belts even as we call on our people to make whatever sacrifices are necessary for our national revival,” he assured.
Mr Mahama bemoaned the hardship being faced by Ghanaians.
He said despite the imposition of new taxes which have made the ordinary Ghanaian worse off, budgetary allocation for President Akufo-Addo has been increased drastically.
“… while they sought to squeeze the last blood from Ghanaians through increased taxes, they have increased the money allocated to the office of the President from GHC1.4 billion to over GHC2 billion. A clear case of asking the people to tighten their belts while the President loosens his. Bawumia’s economic mismanagement and corruption and Akufo-Addo’s poor governance and leadership have led to a significant decline in living standards for the ordinary Ghanaian,” he lamented.
According to him, “2023 has been nothing but a continuation of the years of hardship, the high cost of living and worsening poverty for the Ghanaian people. The 2024 budget provides no hope for an improvement in our circumstances. A raft of new tax measures has been slapped on us to raise an additional GHC11billion from the already overburdened tax payers.”
Mr. Mahama said the prevailing economic challenges caused by the Akufo-Addo administration are being felt by all.
“The soaring prices of essential goods, high levels of unemployment and the struggles of small businesses are a testament to the government’s failure to address the people’s needs. Many of you have felt the impact of these challenges in your daily lives. Whether it is struggling to put food on the table, finding a job to support your family, or witnessing the erosion of our national pride due to corruption and mismanagement. My brothers and sisters, I feel your pain, your despair,” Mahama said.
The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), therefore called on Ghanaians to use the opportunity offered by the 2024 elections to change the government.
“The NPP has brought economic calamity on us. This is not just a matter of Mahama saying so. We all now know that drastic action is needed to reset our nation on the right path. That process must start in earnest with the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections,” he urged.