Last night, President John Dramani Mahama became the most discussed person in Ghana’s social media space and perhaps beyond. This was because of the comments he made whilst addressing a rally for the governing National Democratic Congress in Accra earlier in the afternoon.
To put the matter into its total context, the President was reacting to comments made by the Vice Presidential nominee of the opposition New Patriotic Party, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia after the Budget statement was presented by Finance Minister Seth Terkper on Friday. Bawumia blasted the government for its handling of the nation’s economy and indeed it was not the first time he had said it.
These were Dr Bawumia’s comments on the budget.
“How does this budget address unemployment, the youth unemployment and you look at the resources this government has had over the last seven years, phenomenal amount. Taxes, loans and oil alone; 200 billion Ghana cedis. When the Kufuor administration was there, with such meager resources, so much can be pointed to as well. Social interventions, free maternal health and so on. You can point to infrastructure but the IMF Managing Director put the nail on the head when he said that the borrowing done by the government has been used for consumption and not for investment.”
This is what the President said in response.
“They [NPP} have told all their communicators anytime you mention Mahama or NDC say incompetent. I hear Bawumia and co say incompetent Mahama administration. You never held any responsibility anywhere near presidency before. You do not know what it is like to be President. I will take that word from Kufuor or Rawlings because they have been there before. All of you guys have never ever come near the presidency and you stand there and say incompetent Mahama administration… What do you know about competence?”
The President also added the he would not be distracted.
“My government has been the most insulted government in the history of this country. Every day you listen to the radio and personal invectives and insults are raised on my person, but like I said those things are not going to distract me. I have a job to do…I was given a mandate by the power of Ghana and am not going to allow those useless insults to distract me from that mandate. If they were able to insult President Kufour, then as for me they will grind me in apotowuwa.’’
Now herein lie the issues.
The President was clearly upset and angered by the opposition’s comments and I would be the first to agree that he has been insulted so many times. Indeed, there have been times when I have cringed at some of the things said about him in the social media space and I ask myself whether as a nation we have lost respect for the Presidency. Silly question. Of course we have.
The question then comes as to whether to describe someone as incompetent in handling an aspect of the economy is to insult the person. Personally, in the context of the political talk we are used to in this country, I do not think so.
Harsh criticism yes, but an insult? Not in my books.
To put matters in perspective, the NDC and NPP have leveled this accusation at each other not once but several times.
Indeed, Kwamena Ahwoi back in 2007 accused the Kufuor government of being incompetent in handling the power crisis at the time.
President Mahama was also back then the Director of Communications for the NDC and Minority Spokesperson in parliament during that time and he regularly criticized the government and that word incompetence featured regularly.
The late former President Mills also leveled the same accusation at the Kufuor government when he was in opposition before winning elections in 2008.
My thinking is that the President should not have lost it because in Ghanaian politics, such accusations always come with the territory. The NPP has on several occasions leveled the accusation of incompetence at Mahama’s administration and that is the way it is; in our part of the world, the opposition will do everything to make the government look bad.
The president’s assertion that the likes of Dr Bawumia have not been anywhere near the Presidency and so cannot call him incompetent raises a lot of questions.
For starters, was President Mahama himself near the Presidency when as his party’s spokesperson, he leveled the same accusations at Kufuor’s government? Indeed, had the late Professor Mills been President before when he said same back in 2004? Has Kwamena Ahwoi been a President before?
Again, does that mean that the opinions of the millions of Ghanaians who cast their votes every four years do not matter anymore? Does this mean that all Ghanaians are required to do is to vote people into power but be robbed of criticizing the government when things go awry?
I am a voter but because I have not been anywhere near the presidency, I can never criticize the President. That means that if the opposition NPP does something wrong, because I have never been anywhere near the NPP party leadership, I cannot criticize them, as per the President’s logic. It also means that as media practitioners, we cannot criticize when we are supposed to be the fourth arm of government i.e watchdogs.
On a lighter note, my wife has never been a husband before and so she cannot put me straight when I go wrong. When I pay a security person to guard my house and things go wrong, because I have never been a security person, I cannot criticize the person.
I agree with the President when he decried the insults made on his government and his person and I for one will never support insults, but criticism goes with the territory.
Once you become the President of Ghana, you will be subjected to all manner of criticism. Kufuor suffered it and Professor Mills has so mocked that songs were actually recorded about his slip in parliament when he mentioned ‘ecomini’ instead of economy. Professor Mills took all this in his stride.
President Mahama defeated his own actions yesterday with this quote. “If they were able to insult President Kufour, then as for me they will grind me in apotowuwa.”
So that means the President himself know that this is a regular occurrence, so why was he that upset?
I will condemn insults any day but President Mahama has to learn to develop a tougher thick skin. In Ghana, that is what you need if you have any aspirations of ascending to the highest office of the land.
He may not have meant to do so, but he has virtually disrespected every Ghanaian voter because he is in effect saying that save ex-Presidents Kufuor and Rawlings, you should pay your taxes and you should vote (for him as he wishes) but you have no right to have an opinion, especially if it is contrary to government.
That is disrespecting the Ghanaian voter, which would include almost everyone and the President got it totally wrong.
Harsh criticism is always part of the political space and I dare say that if there should be a change of government, the NDC will level the same accusations at the NPP and if the NDC should retain power, do not expect the NPP to let up in criticizing the government.
I am fully aware of what I am getting into with this article and I know I will be tagged, insulted and ripped apart but I know it goes with the territory. People from all walks of life, including those who cannot write, will rain insults on me. Again, although I am against insults and I will never insult anyone, I have come to accept that ignoring such comments is the best way to go and so I am prepared for what will come as a result of this article
It is not ideal and sometimes it goes overboard, but that is the way it is. Mr President, this goes with the territory so deal with it!
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By: Christopher Opoku
