Why NDC Must Not Get A Third Term – A Fight For Ghana Not Against Mahama

Why NDC must not get a third term – a fight for Ghana not against Mahama

I want to begin this passionate write-up by doing what most people will not expect from an opposition member.

I want to acknowledge and say kudos to John Dramani Mahama for the infrastructure he distributed round the country; put in another way, for the good work done by mixing several community day schools with some few roads, health facilities and a dancing water fountain at the Nkrumah circle, which is flooded with several unemployed youth who have no hope finding jobs and therefore release their tensions by watching the club – like light and the status of Nkrumah who keeps wondering whether this was the Ghana he wanted to see.

All the same, Mahama did a good job in building, storing and commissioning projects as part of his campaign. With all this said, please do not leave yet – I know NDC members might want to leave at this point, but for the sake of Ghana, please read on.

To begin with, there is one major reason why every Ghanaian must be scared of a third term for NDC.

It is not because there would be war; not because it will stop raining; but because Ghana will come to a standstill if such happens. The current unemployment will go up; the “mechanism of I don’t carelism” displayed by some members of NDC as a party will increase astronomically, and the battle to steal national resources will reach its maddest levels.

I will explain each of this claims. On the issue of jobs, we have seen NDC supporters claim that there is no way jobs will be cut in 2017 according to the IMF requirements. Yes, people would not be laid off – but people would not be employed too. There is a growing need for the government to cut down its wage bill, and that can only be done by maintaining lower employee headcount at government agencies; so for jobs from the government sector, please forget it – well unless something happens and about 50% of the current government employees die; God forbid that.

The other side of the issue is that, while Ghana is socially and culturally attractive to investors, the economy is not doing well enough to woe the investors in. Given that investors do not come in to enjoy the social and cultural lives of the people, do not expect them here soon. They come for profits and a non-working economy is a non-profit producing one. With all this and the fact that several graduates will be coming out from the various institutions in search of jobs, please prepare for the worse if NDC wins for a third term.

Your demonstrations will not work and your strikes will fail; you can walk naked on the streets or sleep in the living room of the president, your cries shall fall on death ears. You will know why in the next paragraph.

Touching on the issue of “I don’t care policies,” what we are seeing now is yet to get worse. The broad day abuse of constitutional powers as showcased in the Montie trio case; and the attack on individuals who disagree with the president as exhibited by the president and his appointees towards Dr. Bawumia and his wife will grow and extend outside NPP supporters if NDC gets a third term.

Thus, whether you support NDC or not, prepare to be attacked by the president and his appointees for speaking against them if they get a third term. The reason behind this is the fact that Mahama will not be contesting the elections in 2020. His term will be over and it will be the duty of the next contestant to defend and amend the rot he will create; you will experience the real dead goat! He will not pay attention to your cries; just as he ignored the warning of his lawyer not to interfere in the Montie case because of the damage it could cause to the executive – judiciary relationship, so will he ignore your demonstrations. Your strikes and your petitions will all be answered with “Yentie Obiaa” or even worse, “I can’t think far.”

As a father or a mother whose son or daughter just joined you at home after graduating from a tertiary institute, this election is not a choice between NDC and NPP.

It is a choice between your child’s continuous stay at home and him or her getting a job to start building a future that will impact you; to this end, do not expect that your unemployed son’s life will change if NDC is given a third term.

If they are not able to create jobs in 8 years, how do you expect and trust them to create them in 4 years?

In all that they have been going round doing, they have not exhibited in a single way that they have a plan to create jobs.

They made insulting and attacking NPP their promise to get them a third term. Your vote is nothing beyond a vote for your future, the future of your children and your current situation verses your future – as my American friend rightly put it.

The next and most important reason why the ordinary Ghanaian will suffer under a third term for NDC is their projection of what will happen after their third term – that is the 2020 elections. NDC is fully aware that it will take a miracle for them to win the 2020 elections if they win this year’s election.

In fact should they win this year’s election, they will start with a probability of 20% chance of winning against 80% of NPP or any other party in 2020. Given this knowledge; the ministers will each struggle to get their fair share of the national resources; MPs will grab as much as they can and the average Ghanaian will be at the suffering side. They would not care and they will have no reason to care. They know they will lose and to be good in opposition, they must steal more. The number of beggars will grow and the entire country will be in turmoil.

I had a discussion with an American friend who told me that if Mahama loses this year’s election, it will show that Ghanaians are politically maturing. I asked him why he said so and he told me something I cannot keep to myself.

He said he has been following the campaigns and all he sees from the sitting government is display of infrastructure and nothing much about the economy, how to create jobs and make lives better for the several unemployed. He went on to explain that provision of infrastructure is not an achievement by the government; that is a basic duty of the government and should not be a point to boast on.

He concluded that if the president is therefore rejected with all this showcase of infrastructure, it will mean Ghanaians are now beginning to understand the dynamics of politics and are therefore differentiating between basic duties of government and its achievement. I could not agree more. What use has a community day school to a village if the people cannot afford to cater for their children through the school?

Of what use is a clinic to a man who cannot afford to pay premiums for health insurance and or will not even get the medication needed if he is able to pay the premiums? Again, how does a dancing water fountain at a place littered with unemployed youth impact the lives of those around and away from it?

The average Ghanaian needs more than a disco light – he needs a job, he needs sources of livelihood and he needs pragmatic ideas that will see Ghanaian graduates competing successfully with their peers from other African countries.

Let me conclude this article by pleading with all readers that this election is not a joke. We must not in any way think it is like the past elections. This is a different election that needs critical assessment and the desire to see Ghana work.

The current laziness in government efforts to end corruption; the current disrespect for the separation of powers by the president himself; and the current attacks and support for attacks on the personalities of people who speak against the president would reach their serious stages if NDC should create a history by winning a third term since the establishment of the four – year term. We need to think beyond colour, clan, tribal and regional voting to include the desire to see Ghana work. Vote wisely, vote peacefully and vote for change.