Has Bawumia Betrayed Akufo-Addo With Counter Policy Proposals?

Vice president of the republic of Ghana and flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamadu Bawumia has outlined his vision for the presidency.

His address which has brought home once again the urgent need for a national vision that should guide every elected government also indicts the vice president himself and communicates a message of betrayal.

Dr Mahamadu Bawumia who has been at the forefront of propagating the economic agenda of then candidate Akufo-Addo in opposition prior to election 2016 and during President Akufo-Addo’s tenure as president has outlined a 70-point agenda in his vision statement dubbed: “Bold Solutions For The Future” in a 75-page address he delivered on Wednesday February 7, 2024 in Accra.

The NPP flagbearer in his address outlined numerous policy decisions that he described as his own ideas for the country.

Most of these policy decisions that Dr Bawumia intends to implement if elected president of Ghana are in complete variance to what he has been preaching an presiding over as head of the Economic Management Team.

Dr Bawumia actually shared these visions with his Boss, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, so what has changed?.

Some of the decisions he intends to take which others have criticized under current regime where he is vice president include; reduction in the number of ministers to 50, providing tax amnesty, No taxes on digital payments by abolishing the e-levy, No VAT on electricity, No emissions tax and No betting tax.

Dr Bawumia spoke eloquently against all these especially taxes whiles in opposition during countless public lectures.

The question therefore is whether vice president Bawumia has been pretending all these while to the people of Ghana when he goes about touting his boss as a visionary leader with good policies for the people of Ghana?

Has the vice president Bawumia been acting against his will and personal convictions anytime he mounts the podium to propagate the sound policies of Akufo-Addo’s administration which he is oart of?

Why should our vice president who loves the country so much sit down and not resign all these years and support president Akufo-addo to visit the mayhem that he plans to reverse on the people of Ghana?

It is unacceptable for proponents of Dr Bawumia to tell the people of Ghana that, he was only an apprentice and therefore was not in-charge of policy decisions.

The people of Ghana deserves better.

It is interesting to note that, vice president Bawumia has taken credit for some policy interventions like the Zipline drone technology, digitalization, Gold for oil among others.

Prof Gyampo of the University of Ghana is a write-up has these to say about Dr Bawimia’s address:

“Parts of the presentation was an indictment on the government of which he is part, in a manner that raises serious questions and vindicates those of us who have been critics of the government. Promising to have not more than 50 Ministers when you are part of a government of over 100 Ministers; and promising to abolish some taxes like the Emissions tax, Gaming Tax, E-Levy, VAT on electricity consumption etc makes some of us feel vindicated for criticizing and calling for downsizing of government and the abolition of such nuisance taxes. DMB’s supporters came after us for such criticisms and I am wondering whether they will go after him, now that he’s taken a position that responds favorably to our criticisms on the size of government and nuisance taxes”.

A Political party is a group of people who believes in a particular ideology with a shared vision. The people of Ghana go to the polls every four to elect among the various political parties and independent candidates who offered themselves based on their vision. It is therefore very disingenuous on the part of the vice president, Dr Bawumia to dissociate himself from the vision and policies of his Boss which he so much touted on the plater of political expediency.

By: Peter Mensah