The presidential candidate for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has expressed concern over the state of Ghana’s democratic institutions, claiming they have been severely undermined under the current Akufo-Addo-led administration.
He argued that the strides Ghana has made in strengthening its democracy since 1992 have been reversed.
“These last eight years have been very challenging for our democratic institutions. All the gains we have made in strengthening them since 1992 have been eroded,” he stated.
Mr. Mahama made these comments during a governance forum in Accra on Thursday evening, October 31, 2024.
Dubbed: “Resetting Ghana for good governance and accountability”, the forum offered the NDC’s leader the opportunity to speak on various issues affecting the country’s democratic governance system.
“This evening, I want to speak about Governance! I am moved to speak about governance because the way we administer governance in our dear country has brought Ghana to a crossroads. Injustice is eating our society away as our economy inflicts untold hardships on millions of suffering Ghanaians,” he said.
Mr Mahama said Ghanaians have a responsibility to show the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) the exit point in December’s elections.
“My dear brothers and sisters, at this crossroads, we have no option but to unite—as one people who put our nation first—to give us a chance to succeed. For Ghana to be successful again, there is an urgent need to reset our governance and democratic systems. This can only happen if this current NPP government is rejected at the polls on 7th December,” he explained.
For him, “Ghanaians must end this ‘horror movie’ they have been subjected to over the last eight years,” pledging that his government will protect the country’s public purse.
He accused the Akufo-Addo-led government of mismanaging the country’s resources, saying “Indeed, as some people say humorously, they have not only emptied the public purse; they have stolen the purse itself.”
According to Mr Mahama, the current administration lacks integrity, transparency, and accountability, saying “It [NPP] will not accept responsibility for the hardships it has foisted on our society. It still believes and insists it is not responsible for the damage to our economy. It maintains we cannot hold it accountable for skyrocketing the national debt from GH¢120 billion in 2016 to GH¢767 billion in 2024, with very little to show,” he explained.
He further accused the current government of compelling the Central Bank to print more than GH¢70 billion, which he noted, increased the country’s inflation to about 54%, leading to the Bank of Ghana posting a loss of over GH¢60 billion.
For him, the main reason for democratic governance is to improve the living conditions of all citizens—including people living with disabilities, “our retirees and young people who are out of school and need jobs —in a tangible, sustainable and equitable way.”
He added, “Democracy must be meaningful to citizens. Democracy must deliver justice to the people. In a democracy, citizens must be free to criticise the government without hearing a weird knock on their doors at night from partisan national security operatives.”
Source: Graphic online
