Exactly a year from today, Ghanaians will be going to the polls to elect a new president for the next four years. Phew! I remember vividly when the 2020 elections were conducted. When they say ‘Time flies’, it really does!
Unfortunately for us, we are still stuck with the two major political parties: the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who are currently in power and the major opposition party, National Democratic Congress (NDC). The reason why I use ‘unfortunately’ is because these two political parties have been in power since 1992 and I can boldly say there has been little to no progress in the country (this is not even up for debate).
Personally, I have never voted before. 2012 elections would have been my first chance to vote but I was not in the country at the time. But I honestly thank God I wasn’t because I am almost certain I would have voted for NPP (Geez! I would have deeply regretted this!) – Why do I say this?
The current president of Ghana, Nana Akuffo Addo, contested for Presidency on three different occasions before winning on his third attempt; 2008 (lost), 2012 (lost which ended up in court proceedings) and 2016 (He finally won!). I need to borrow a leaf from his resilience because man must have thrown a lot of money away campaigning and all sorts on those three occasions (He found a way to get all the money back anyways). Well, his dream of becoming President finally came to pass on the 8th December 2016 when he was declared President Elect of the Republic of Ghana. A lot of people were happy for him! Not only because he won on his third attempt but the promises he made to Ghanaians. Among them is the infamous Free SHS Program, 1 District 1 Factory (1D 1F), reinforcing the healthcare system by building more hospitals among others.
The sad and painful truth is that Akuffo Addo has scammed Ghanaians – really done us dirty – this is coming from someone whose family is a staunch NPP supporter. My grandmother (RIP), woe betide you if you speak ill about NPP or even Akuffo Addo will literally come for your head. I remember how she had Akuffo Addo’s stickers around the house months leading up to the 2008 elections and refused to remove them even after the terrible loss NPP suffered at the polls that year. For some reason, I also supported NPP and would have casted my first vote for NPP in 2012 (Again, thank God, I didn’t!). Tribal politics is deeply rooted in Ghana such that Ashantis (which I am) are known to be NPP supporters whilst Gas, Ewes, Northerners and even Fantes (mostly because of the late President Atta Mills) are mostly known to be NDC supporters.
This is ridiculous especially in this day and era but unfortunately not most people change with the times – some are still stuck in their traditional/superstitious beliefs among others.
Akuffo Addo’s governance has been a monumental disappointment and nothing to write home about. He may have delivered on some promises but that is definitely not enough – at least compared to his campaign promises. And the annoying thing is that they detest it when you refer them to what they said they will do and haven’t done. It’s the audacity for me when you were literally begging us to vote for you in order to make our lives better. When you come to power and you do the exact opposite, we HAVE EVERY right to call you out! The point is, he lacks accountability just like his predecessors and has done nothing to ensure transparency in his government. WHAT A FAILURE! Meanwhile, this is someone who said there will be no room for corruption in his government but they were all BIG FAT LIES! We have witnessed most of them – right before our eyes including the Late Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie’s (popularly known as Sir John) controversial will which included part of the Achimota Forest Reserve (a national treasure) being willed to one of his family members. Not to talk of Cecilia Dapaah’s scandal!
The crux of the matter is that the NPP government has done nothing to make the life of the average Ghanaian better but WORSE day in, day out. To top it all, they aren’t a LISTENING government either. They introduce taxes every now and then including the infamous ‘E-Levy’ but only God knows where these monies go (probably under someone’s bed). Ghanaians are still paying ‘Covid Tax’, ‘NHIL’ (National Health Insurance Levy), ‘Tourism tax’ yet NOTHING is working in the country and I cannot pinpoint one sector doing SO WELL! Big time THIEVES and SCAMMERS! Yet they get mad when they are called out. Then DO BETTER!
With all the scandals and deterioration this government has caused the country (setting us back to about 50 years or more with their unnecessary borrowing and massive misappropriation of government funds), the current Vice President, Dr. Bawumia (the so-called ‘economic wizkid’) still has the guts to contest for the presidency in next year’s election. I really need this man’s guts to pursue my goals in 2024! All of a sudden, he can lead Ghana to the promised land with his fabulous ideas. It’s as though he is not part of the current government. What a JOKE! Unfortunately, this scammer has people following him and cheering him on. In fact, he was declared the official flagbearer for the NPP after their delegates’ elections. In a sane country, the NPP should not even get up to 10% votes in the upcoming elections but we all know that is only a dream.
This is not to say the NDC is a better option. To be honest, I am tired of these two parties. Two sides of the same coin. So what happens in 2024? I recently learned Ghana has 24 official political parties. Why are the others sleeping? Because we need a strong third force and a competent leader to lead us. Enough of these political gimmicks! I have always said that if a competent leader emerges with good policies and vision for Ghana, I will make sure I will be in Ghana next year on the 7th December to vote for the person but I can’t see any yet.
Ghana is my home, my country. So dear to my heart. It hurts to see the country falling apart because of these thieves in power. I believe we still have time and opportunity to take our country back but we need a fresh face and leader, not NDC and definitely NOT NPP! But we are just a year from our next elections. Who is our competent third force?
Thank you for reading. Please like, share and comment. Stay tuned for the next post.
Gertrude says...... 