To do obsequious sorrow; but to persevere In obstinate condolement is a course Of impious stubbornness; 'its unmanly grief;
It shows a will most incorrect to Heaven, A heart unfortified, a mind impatient, An understanding simple and unschool'd For what, we know, must be, and is as common
As any the most vulgar thing to sense, Why should we in our peevish opposition Take it to heart? (HAMLET, Shakespeare).
It seemed the year 2016 was not going to come, but it crawled gradually and patiently around the orbit. The world generally did not know so much peace, wars and rumours of war happened elsewhere, the human suffering witnessed the world over, was about the pains and agonies of displaced people. The refugee situation was beyond human imagination as people had to traverse countries to get to destinations that will offer them peace and security. Thousands of migrants fleeing economic strangulations imposed on them by their insensitive governments, particularly African leaders, through hazardous routes, lost their lives in such painful manner.
To many of those who lost their lives in their bid to seek economic salvation and live decently as human beings, very much aware of the risks and dangers ahead of them, the only line that went through their minds was 'there are more painful experiences in life than death itself', courtesy former President J.J. Rawlings. Even though no particular information about lives of Ghanaians having been lost during these journeys have come to us, very many young Ghanaians left this shores through these risky routes to escape the economic hardships we have imposed on ourselves.
Admittedly, Ghana has never been a paradise from independence but we have progressively made strides in both our governance systems and our efforts at improving the economic conditions of our people. Sadly, some needless interruptions in our multiparty democratic dispensation drew us back, but what has significantly drawn this country so backward in recent times is the leadership of the outgoing President, John Dramani Mahama. He inherited a middle level income economy, he is virtually bequeathing a HIPIC economy to the people of this country in just four years.
He presided over a failed electricity provision which is extremely a key to the running of the economy for four solid years, making promises of fixing them, but the situation worsened. Businesses at all levels collapsed, workers lost their jobs, investors abandoned their businesses as the cost of fueling generators as a means of powering their businesses had a major toll on their finances. Taxes were increased astronomically even as businesses were not doing well; importers virtually abandoned their imports at the major points of entry of this country because they could not afford to pay the hydra headed taxes that culminated in what is described as import duties. The taxes did not discriminate between raw materials imported for industry and consumables for the rich and the affluent in our society.
Government's fiscal policies served as disincentive for investments in the economy, savings in the traditional banks reduced because government's appetite for taxes spread its tentacles into that area as well, interest rates could only be compared to the interest rates under NDC 2 of Rawlings era. Many Ghanaians fell for the juicy but risky interest rates offered by phony micro finance companies which ended up duping our people without any protection from the state. Many victims lost their lives in this process.
Young graduates without jobs kept increasing in leaps and bounds, a situation which led to the formation of Association of Unemployed Graduates. Middle class technical and specialized trained young people stayed at home for years without postings, meanwhile they had been bonded in the course of their training to serve the government of Ghana in their respective fields of training for not less than three years before they leave for other job opportunities.
Those who were lucky to have had jobs never got paid in spite of assurances given them by government spokespersons. Over and above all these hardships, has been the unbridled corruption Mahama and his cohorts have unleashed upon this country. He has shamelessly presided over or perhaps was personally involved in this act which has never been witnessed in the history of this country. The nation's resources were wantonly dissipated with glee with friends and family members being the largest, leaving in its wake, huge debts to be serviced by the incoming government. Sole sourcing which by our laws are supposed to be the exception to our procurement processes became the norm rather than the exception. Contracts were inflated beyond human imagination.
As the people moaned, whined and pined, Mahama told us that he has built the largest infrastructure in the history of this country and we should be grateful to him. Parents complained of high cost of education, and Mahama's response was he has built the infrastructure. Hospital bills were unaffordable and the National Health Insurance Cards could not save the poor and the sick. We were told that a 600 bed hospital facility has been built at Ridge Hospital and that in itself was enough to cure the sick. While a sizeable section of the people elsewhere in this country were competing with cattle for water for domestic uses, water availability in Adentan in the Greater Region was enough to solve the water problems of all, according to Mahama and his incompetent bunch of hooligans.
Now Ghanaians decided on December 7, 2016, to take this yoke off their shoulders, and they did it in style to tell Mahama and his stealing brigands that they can only tolerate his continued stay in office for the constitutionally mandated four years in office and not the pungent stealing of the national resources. Having been soundly beaten in an election which saw Nana Akufo Addo with a gap difference of over 1.5 million popular votes, Mahama decides to direct the incoming government as to how this country should be managed; post his administration.
He begins by increasing salaries by astronomical percentages, appointing public officials for the incoming government. He is signing contracts in such haste as if without those contracts Ghana was going to be on its knees. Parliament is being compelled to approve agreements the Members themselves have not read and studied. The arguments for his actions have been premised on the 1992 Constitution that virtually runs this country. Yes, until the mid-night of January 6, 2017, he is still in charge, but why did he not make those appointments in the four years that he had all the powers to make those appointments? Others are citing some decisions former President Kufuor had made on the eve of his exit from power. Many of such were reversed, so why use them as justifications for today's actions.
In 2009, there was no law to govern the transition period, in 2012, a law came into being to regulate the transition but this simple law was violated by the Mahama administration because it handed over to itself. Part of the law states that 30 days to the Presidential elections, the government should submit the handing over notes of MMDAs to the Administrator General. This simple law was blatantly violated by the Mahama administration, yet he has the guts to engage in morally offensive actions to the chagrin of right thinking people the world over – all in the name of constitutionality. If we agree that he has the constitutional powers to make the appointments he has done, what do we say to the non -compliance of the Transition Law? Do we go to court and declare everything they have done subsequently null and void?
If time were on his side, he would not mind selling off this country and not care a hoot what happens thereafter. Patriot indeed. My advice to Mahama is that this nation has gone through a worse situation than this, but we managed to survive. We will rise up again and build this country no matter the ill-wish for the coming administration. A Happy New Year to my cherished readers from whom I had the inspiration to continue writing every week. Thank you so much as we wish ourselves the best in the coming year.
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