Amidst recent attacks on the incumbent government mostly on its economic decisions that have plunged the country into an economic abyss, the opposition in parliament, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has cunningly decided to play the victim of circumstance while the government-forming party the New Patriotic Party (NPP) takes all the hits.
The NDC’s main focus in all this political hullabaloo is to continue criticizing the government for its failures as it adds more fuel to an already raging public opinion. One would think that the NDC had nothing to do with government decisions at all. It is as if the party had no representation in parliament and therefore has not contributed its quota to Ghanaians’ woes.
In a recent press conference, the NDC accused the government of willfully causing the country financial loss with the Agyapa Royalties deal which did not materialize. The NDC claimed the deal was approved by parliament in the absence of NDC Members of Parliament who boycotted parliament to show their disapproval of the deal.
“My brothers and sisters, we all know what good this colossal amount of USD$12 million, which is equivalent to GHS153 million Ghana cedis (i.e 1.5 trillion old Ghana cedis) could have achieved in Ghana’s bankrupt economy if it had been put to judicious use”.
Esq. Sammy Adu Gyamfi
The real question then becomes, if propaganda and unnecessary politicking are of more importance to NDC legislators than their duties of representing Ghanaians in Parliament.
If the NDC was trying so hard to block the deal, boycotting is not the answer as it has not yielded the outcome the NDC was expecting, instead, it led straight to what it was trying to avoid.
Notwithstanding the facts, the NDC caucus knew that a two-thirds vote of the Members of Parliament present could approve the deal. The NDC boycott of parliament then therefore is an act of unnecessary politicking and an attempt to cease an opportunity to be on a moral pedestal. A flaw in judgment that cost the country a sum of USD 12 million.
The NDC Members of Parliament therefore failed to protect the public purse which they were mandated to do on behalf of their constituents.
The Propaganda Reels
Fast forward to 2024, the NDC is demanding that the Agyapa deal be probed. It also suggested that individuals involved in executing the deal are prosecuted as well even though there is no substantial evidence presented by the NDC to prove that the deal is corrupt.
One cannot help but think the NDC has an ulterior motive in its sudden call that the deal be probed after a Public Accounts Committee sitting featuring the Mineral Income Investment Fund (MIFF) revealed an amount of USD 12 million has been spent on the botched deal.
Like every other election year, tensions are high and there is a high public demand for accountability from the government especially, with Ghana’s current economic situation. The NDC therefore is riding on the emotions of Ghanaians to gain some form of credibility from the people.
“This money could have sufficed to pay the cost of several months of treatment for all kidney patients in Ghana, nineteen (19) of whom died painfully, following the shameful closure of the Renal Dialysis Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching hospital for several months last year, over government’s GHS4 million indebtedness”.
Esq. Sammy Adu Gyamfi
Without a doubt, no one is against the NDC’s demand for the deal to be investigated but one can also easily spot propaganda where there is one. The propaganda machine of the NDC is being driven on the back of false accusations and innuendos, character assassination, and exaggeration concerning the incumbent government.
Moreover, it is as though the current economic state of the country is not reason enough for Ghanaians to vote the current government out of power. The NDC is committed to ensuring that any chances of the NPP winning the election are destroyed through propaganda even if this propaganda holds some amount of truth sometimes.
The NDC is not the only political party guilty of this act. The New Patriotic Party when in opposition did the same. With the Vice President, Dr. Mamamudu Bawumia, championing the course, the NPP perpetuated propaganda in all forms against the then-NDC administration. A strategy that seems to have worked well for the NPP as the party was subsequently elected into power in the 2016 general elections.
While this is a well-known strategy that both the NDC and the NPP exploit, it brings to question their morality. Leveraging emotions and inciting public fury to attain one’s electoral goals seems to be too cruel and unethical.
In conclusion, while the NDC and the NPP play ‘good cop, bad cop’ with each other, Ghanaians have the misfortune of choosing between the devil they know and the angel they do not know as these political parties without doubt remain the only option Ghanaians can choose from during the December 2024 elections.
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