Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, has expressed the need for persons who occupy governmental positions to have a conscience.

According to him, office holders being empathetic to the plight of Ghanaians under the current economic situation will inform some decisions they take. He lamented the living conditions of Ghanaians, especially with the current economic crisis coupled with fluctuating cedi and inflation.

Citing the situation of rotation nurses in the country, Mr George noted that these nurses have not been paid since they began their national service. This, he indicated, has informed the decision of many to leave the country for better working and living conditions.

“If you want to see the real state of the Ghana man, it’s not about I come to say or macroeconomic indicators. We don’ take macroeconomic indicators to the market… For me, that’s why I feel that people in public office must have a conscience…”
Sam Nartey George

Citing the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as a case in point, Mr George stated that “if Bawumia’s conscience was not seared with hot iron, he wouldn’t even have picked forms to contest”. This, he explained, is because Mr Bawumia was sold to Ghanaians as the “economic messiah” and outdoored by the flagbearer Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2016.

“This was a man who gave us lectures and set questions for his predecessor who was the Vice President at the time and head of economic management team. Today, this is the state of our economy…”
Sam Nartey George

Additionally, Mr George insisted that the teaming up of finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta and Vice President, Mahamudu Bawumia, as the two people running the economy, explains the mess Ghana finds itself in.

“But when public officers do not have a conscience and cannot stand up and own the fact that they have failed the people they serve, we are saddled with these problems.”
Sam Nartey George

Ghana under Mahama’s administration

Commenting on what flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, can do to take Ghana out of the mess, Sam George stated that “John Mahama is not a magician”. However, he noted that the former President stands a chance of leaving a trail of changing the fortunes of the country.

“He doesn’t have a magic wand that Godwilling in 2025 when he’s sworn in as the next President of Ghana, he would wave and everything will just change. The mess is endemic, the systemic mess is deep but what John Mahama has is a fantastic opportunity to go down in the annals of our history as the man who hit the reset button for this country and that is going to be on him as President because he is not going to be saddled with thinking of a next election.”
Sam Nartey George

The Ningo-Prampram legislator revealed that Mahama’s presidency focus must be on “fixing and resetting” the country as well as taking the tough decisions that the current government is unable to take.

As it stands now, Mr George believes that Ghana needs a President like Mr Mahama who has learned from his own mistakes.

“He’s had the benefit of eight years to sit back and learn from those mistakes, come back and take the right decisions… If you look at the trajectory of this government almost everything that has gone wrong was predicted by the minority. We advised them on e-levy… We asked them to go to the IMF… Everything that has gone wrong with this government, the minority has sounded it off and warned them.”
Sam Nartey George

Despite his strong advocacy for the former President’s return, Sam George emphasized that he would also “remain a critical voice” if need be. With this, he elaborated that many people are not going to sit back and allow the next Mahama administration to come and conduct business as usual.

“… We need to begin to call ourselves out, whether it’s your party or the opposition… If we don’t come to a place where we begin to call out what is wrong as wrong, irrespective of which party, this country will sink.”
Sam Nartey George