Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, running mate to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate for the 2016 election, has once again thrown a challenge to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.
He has charged the current administration to put price tags on all projects that it claims to have undertaken for all Ghanaians to see if the so-called projects are not mired in corruption.
According to Dr. Bawumia, the price of every project the NDC undertakes is inflated three times to enrich the pockets of government functionaries to the disadvantage of the ordinary Ghanaian. Dr Bawumia threw the challenge at the just ended 15th Extraordinary Delegates’ Conference of the NPP at Sunyani in the Brong-Ahafo Region on Saturday.
He accused the government of corruption and mismanagement of the economy, despite the numerous resources that come into its hands. He said President Mahama’s NDC administration is eroding the modest economic gains chalked under former President J. A. Kufuor’s NPP administration. Kufuor, Dr Bawumia reiterated, was able to turn the country from lower income status to lower middle income status in eight years.
Explaining further, Dr Bawumia said with only GH¢20 billion raised from taxes, the Kufuor administration was able to initiate good polices and projects like the school feeding programme, the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Capitation Grant, Metro Mass Transit, Free Maternal Care among others, while in seven years with GH¢200 billion that had accrued to the NDC from taxes and foreign direct investments, the Mahama-led administration could only boast of uncompleted projects and those on the drawing board.
According to him, since assuming office, government had borrowed $37 billion but could show little for it, saying road projects are inflated. What surprises Dr Bawumia most is that whiles more revenues are accruing to the government through higher tariffs imposed on the people, payment of statutory funds like the GETFund, the District Assembly Common Fund, School Feeding Fund, among others, are all in arrears. Trainee teachers and nurses’ allowances have all been cancelled. He said economic growth is on decline to 0.04%. He accused government of corrupt deals in the award of contracts like the Ameri deal, Isofoton, SADA, Kumasi Airport runway and the supposed Ho Airport to line up the pockets of government officials with the proceeds.
Dr. Bawumia, a renowned economist, asked Ghanaians to entrust the management of the economy into the hands of his incorruptible flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Ado, to change the fortunes of the country.
The minority leader in parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said the NPP was going back with a renewed sense of purpose and unity after the conference. He also accused the president of his inability to stop corruption in his government, noting that “corruption is now pervasive and the president himself is in the state of denial even after anti-corruption agents point it out to him.” He said a good government could be measured in three ways: good governance, competency and accountable and transparency, and asserted that Mahama had failed in all these areas. “Government functionaries are only building mansions both within and outside the country,” the minority leader averred.
According to Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, about 80-85% of public procurement is done through sole sourcing which is an avenue for corrupt deals. He indicated that President Kufuor built 6-unit classroom block with ancillary facilities at the cost of GH¢85,000 but the NDC government is doing the same even without store and offices, with GH¢350,000.
He wondered why the president failed to recognize those who are truly fighting corruption like former Attorney General Martin Amidu and Anas Aremeyaw Anas, in his recent national award ceremony stressing, “the president is complacent with his administration’s corrupt practices.”
He asked the people to vote for Nana Ado because “there is no better alternative like the NPP under Nana Addo.”
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