Director of Communications of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Yaw Buaben Asamoa, has challenged former President John Dramani Mahama to be bold while on his ‘Thank you tour,’ and tell Ghanaians what he would have done to give every citizen access to healthcare and other areas of the economy.
“You should be bold enough to tell Ghanaians what you would have done to give every child access to education; and every business access to lower inflation, lower interest rates, stable cedi, stable supply of electricity and good roads and strong leadership to take the nation through this Covid-19 crisis.”
Addressing a news conference last Friday on Agenda 111 and to respond to what he said was former President Mahama’s recklessness, the Communications Director argued it is not in the interest of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to even compare records.
According to him, the records of the late President Jerry John Rawlings and the late President John Evans Atta-Mills are even better than Mr. Mahama’s who is now going across the country, eight months after losing his second presidential bid, to thank the people of Ghana.
“So for what exactly is former Presidential Candidate John Dramani Mahama thanking the people of Ghana? After waiting nearly one year after the last election, why is he now touring the country to thank voters for?
“Is he thanking Ghanaians for doing the wise thing to reject him again in 2020? Is he thanking voters for not taking the risk with him to take Ghana out of the Covid-19 crisis? Is he thanking Ghanaians for rejecting his governance of incompetence, over four years of dumsor, economic mismanagement, and handing over the economy to the IMF?
“Is he thanking Ghanaians for not having short memories about the Mahama Years? Or, is he simply saying: ‘Thank you, fellow Ghanaians, for voting for Nana Akufo-Addo again,” he quizzed.
According to him, sadly for John Mahama and his discredited NDC, they assume, just like they did in 2016 and 2020, that 2024 is for the opposition for the taking.
Nothing new to offer
Mr. Buaben Asamoa wondered whether Ghanaians can really give their vote back to the former President and questioned what he did for Ghanaians in 2012 after he took their votes.
“He took away your electricity even when you were paying for it. He took away your hard-earned susu and left your child at home without a school after she passed well.
“He took your training allowances, he took away your free maternal childbirth, your child’s free Metro Mass Transport and he collapsed your NHIS (National Health Insurance Scheme),” he stated.
New regions
John Mahama, Mr Buaben Asamoa said, is attacking Ghanaians and wishes to take everything that Nana Akufo-Addo has done away although he could not create even one region.
“Savannah and Oti Regions, remember this. He could not give you your long-held dream of a region. When you fought hard with Nana Addo and won your region, he is questioning why you have it. He will take away your nephews’ schooling, your children’s free SHS, he will take it away and he will cancel it,” he added.
According to him, John Mahama has not given Ghanaians anything and therefore does not deserve to receive anything.
He urged the electorates to ask the former President what he will give them the next time he opens his mouth to take something that President Akufo-Addo has given them.
Mr Buaben Asamoa noted that between a man who says nothing can be done and one who does interesting good things who should Ghanaians listen to and vote for.
The NDC, he said, feels threatened because of the Agenda 111 project and have started blabbering in fright like what they did against the free SHS.
The opposition, the NPP Communications Director added, is shrill and desperate and pretending to be alarmed at abandoned projects and a lack of financial resources.
“Well, there are no abandoned projects because every project has a reason why it’s happening or not happening. They just want to take. They don’t even read.
“They described Agenda 111 as a ‘knee jerk reaction’ without reading the NPP Manifestos of 2016 and 2020. The 2016 manifesto promised to upgrade existing district hospitals and establish new ones in every district where there was none. The 2020 manifesto specified 101 district hospitals due for construction”.
Mr. Buaben Asamoa stressed that Agenda 111 is a well-thought-through policy intervention worthy of study by the NDC.
He lamented, however, that for myopic political purposes founded on a spirit of non-performance, the NDC wants an initiative set to benefit millions of Ghanaians stopped because it threatens their assumptions about the 2024 elections.
