John Mahama was a “lazy president” and would be worse if voted back – Salam Mustapha to Ghanaian Youth
Mustapha says it was only recently that the Akufo-Addo government managed to undo the damage of the Mahama years and convince some independent power producers to accept renegotiated packages
The national youth organiser of the New Patriotic Party, Salam Mustapha, has urged young Ghanaians not to vote back into office the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, John Dramani Mahama, arguing that Mahama was a “lazy president” whose record as Ghana’s leader could be described as a shambolic performance.
Mustapha further said that if the youth of Ghana voted Mahama back into office, he would be a worse president than he was during his previous tenure.
“We witnessed his [John Mahama’s] shambolic performance as president, which saw your parents losing their jobs or customers because of ‘dumsor’. Yes, four years of President John Mahama was four years of dumsor.
“When his government realised that they could become rich ‘merchants of dumsor’, they went ahead recklessly to sign excess take-or-pay power purchasing agreements (PPAs) [under which], by the time NPP took over, the Ghana government was forced to pay up to US$1 billion a year, mainly for power we did not need and we did not use,” Mustapha recalled.
The NPP national youth organiser was addressing the media in Bolgatanga on Friday (13 September 2024) at a public engagement organised by the Upper East regional youth wing of the party.
Mustapha said it was only recently that the Akufo-Addo government managed to convince some of the power companies to accept renegotiated packages.
“Imagine the billions of dollars wasted on excess power that Mahama contracted and what it could have been used for. Is this the president we should bring back for another four years after which he would not be accountable to you?
“It is shocking that John Mahama still harbours this silly dream of becoming president again.
“For what exactly, we all don’t know. We want to ask John Mahama if he has left something at Jubilee House that we are unaware of. He should tell the good people of Ghana, so we can retrieve it for him to go home and rest in peace,” Mustapha demanded.
According to him, John Mahama inherited an oil-rich economy and yet, without any global crisis to deal with, he created such a crisis that by 2014 the cedi was the worst-performing currency in Africa, by 2015 Ghana had applied for a bailout by the International Monetary Fund and by 2016 Ghana had seen the birth of the Unemployed Young Graduates’ Association.
“At some point, he gave up and said he wasn’t a magician to provide jobs. He told us that he had run down the economy and that the flesh was all gone and [Ghana was] left with bones. Schools did not even have common chalk! The situation was hopeless. The leader himself was rudderless and inept.”
He described John Mahama as a lazy leader, noting that the former president himself said in an interview that he usually got to the office at 10am and left by 4pm.
“In his entire stay in office as president, his cabinet met just about 40 times. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s less than once a month! The civil servants at the presidency during Mahama’s time in office told us stories of loitering around with nothing to do.
“The vice-president, Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur, clocked more working hours than his boss. He reported to his office daily at 8am sharp and often worked through 7pm. No wonder why, by 2018, Mr Amissah Arthur had set up a campaign office in East Legon, Accra, preparing to contest John Mahama for the leadership of the NDC.
“But we all know what happened to him. He too died, suddenly and mysteriously.”
The NPP national youth organiser said that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo frequently stays at the office working after midnight, and noted that Akufo-Addo does not drink alcohol.
“Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia also does not drink alcohol. He is not lazy. He comes up with solutions like DRIP [the District Road Improvement Programme] to provide construction equipment to fix our roads in our districts, and not to buy private cars for pretty women for all manner of benefits.
“This is the stark difference between a serious person and a person who leads for the perks. John Mahama just did not take his job seriously then, and would not take it seriously going forward if you make the mistake of bringing him back. Now that he doesn’t have to account for his leadership and seek another term, he would be worse.”
Mustapha contrasted the two major political parties, saying that while the governing NPP is represented by a vice-president, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, whom he described as brilliant and dynamic, the main opposition party is represented by the perennial failed former president John Mahama.
“These two candidates are in full gear of their campaigns and have put forward their manifestos which contain the policies that they intend to implement once they get the mandate of the Ghanaian people.
“It is obvious that the track record and character of these two men will be put to strict scrutiny and should help form the basis of our decision. Fortunately for us, these two are known within our body politic.”
Click on the link below to read the full address by Salam Mustapha, NPP national youth organiser:
Bold Solutions for the future presser by Salam Mustapha
Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Accra
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