My Government Will Do Better Than My Government- The Bawumia Dilemma

By: Christian Kpesese

Since becoming the flagbearer of his party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the December 7 2024 presidential elections, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia announced some policy measures he intends to roll-out if elected president.

Dr Bawumia who is currently the Vice President of Ghana says he intends to implement these measures which he said are his own ideas should he win the polls and forms the next NPP government.

Yes, it is true that every human being has his/her own thoughts, ideas, perspectives etc of how things are done or should be done.

It is however, problematic for good governance and the economy of a nation when all of a sudden a group of people who share same idealogies and demonstrated same through their public uterances and actions for many years act otherwise for whatever reason.

As a matter of principle, anybody who disagrees with the collective decision must state so clearly and move on. It is not appropriate to still stay on even though you disagree and still speak against the actions of the system you belong to for your individual future ambitions.

In the case of Vice President Dr Bawumia and President Akufo-Addo’s partnership, it is common knowledge that Dr Bawumia has been at the helm of affairs with regards all issues concerning the Ghanaian economy for the NPP as a party going into the Deember 2008 general elections.

Dr Bawumia has led all economic lectures organised by the NPP and diagnosed the country’s economic challenges and proffered solutions from 2009 through to 2016 during the presidency of late Professor John Evans Atta Mills and president John Dramani Mahama respectively.

Indeed, Dr Mahamudu was very critical of the NDC government about what problem was with the economy and what needs to be done. He did that admirably well on behalf of then candidate Akufo-Addo and the NPP. His economic sermons resonated well with the masses and the applauds were just loud for him.

Bawumia was called the economic messiah.

Upon winning the 2016 elections, Dr Bawumia as vice president became Head of the Economic Mnagement Team (EMT) from January 7, 2021 to date.

It was therefore normal and expected by Fellow Ghanaians that, Dr Bawumia, the economic messiah would marshall his economic solution oriented knowledge and brought same to bear especially as head of the economic mangement team is addressing the numerous challenges facing the economy in the last seven and a half years.

Contrary to the general expectations that was not the case. Dr Bawumia after getting the node of NPP delgates as flagbearer of the party for the 2024 presidential elections, started preaching a different message. An economic message that contradicts all he has been superintending as head of the EMT for almost eight (8) years now.

Vice President Dr Bawumia is promising the Ghanaian people that they should vote for him and when he wins, he will undo all that he has championed as head of the Economic Management Team of his NPP government.

Dr Bawumia says no, he disagrees with all the economic policies that he as vice president has led in implementing for all these years.

According to him, he has his own ideas for Ghana, ideas which are contrary to the things that are currently happenning under his government.

For instance, Bawumia says he will peg the number of ministers and deputy ministers of state at 60 if he becomes president even though the current administration which he is part of had 120 ministers and deputies.

He says he will cancel E-levy, a flagship initiative which is currently in full flight.

Again he says he will bring back the road tolling system which was removed by his own government. Reasons given for the removal of the tolls were that, they have beome unhealthy market centres causing heavy road traffics and pollution. What has changed now? 

Additionally, Dr Bawumia says he will not burn seized excavators from illegal miners contrary to a cabinet decision he was part of, a move that saw hundreds of expensive excavators destroyed contrary to the laws of the land.

NPP flagbearer, Dr Bawumia says he will eliminate the betting tax and the 15% VAT on electricity. Mind you, the implementation of these taxes started not long ago and if they are nuisance, why not remove them now but wait till after the next elections?.

The National Communications Officer of the opposition NDC, Sammy Gyamfi puts puts Dr Bawumia’s dilemma this way:

My government is in power but when my government comes, my government will change all the things that my government has done. My government will be better than my government.

These PROMISES by vice president Dr Mahamudu Bawumia who is seeking the high office of president of Ghana have left the Ghanaian populace in wonderland, wondering.

Citizens of Ghana have been asking if it is the same Dr Bawumia of yesterday and today.

Ghanaians have been thinking and wondering whether he (Dr Bawumia) has been propagating somebody’s economic ideas all along since 2009 anytime he mounted the podium to deliver those powerful economic lectures? Lectures that convinced them to vote the NPP into power.

Many Ghanaians have been asking whether Dr Bawumia is an opposition leader seeking to unseat an incumbeent government with those sweet talks that are normally heard from the oppossition just to win power.

They want to know whether Dr Bawumia has become an opposition leader within his own government.

Citizens have been asking when Dr Bawumia, the economic wizard failed to convince his Boss, the president who belives so much in him due to his honesty and superior economic mangement ideas that will bring relif to them.

Why has vice president Bawumia failed to convince his own government of which he is the head of the economic management team to accept his proposals, proposals that will bring comfort to ghanaians?

Why should Ghanaians wait till he becomes president himself before?

They ask: Is he just seeking to win their sympathy with the claim that, he was just a mate, and that, he suggested his ideas but the president did not listen, and so they should vote for him to become president so he can implement his own ideas?

Citizens of Ghana wants to know why. They want to know especially because of the fact that President Akufo-Addo has for the past 15-plus years praised the knowledge and wisdom of Dr Bawumia for his (Akufo-Addo’s) economic decisions.

So why did Akufo-Addo fail to listen to him, Ghanaians want to know why?:

Ghanaians deserve politics of integrity from the political elite.

By: Peter Mensah