The Parliament of Ghana has just ended the State of the Nation Address debate and one would be right to say that Ghanaian politicians, Legislators particularly, are immensely partisan and unready to solve the real problems of Ghanaians; a mandate that is more important than any political quibbling and ideological difference.
Monday 11th March’s SONA debate saw both the Majority and Minority leaders try to justify the failures of their respective governments while they underplay the progress made by these governments in the hope that Ghanaians will take their arguments and swallow them hook, line, and sinker.
Over the last seven years, the NPP’s performance on the governance and development scale has been appalling. Ghana experienced its worst performance in corruption and its freedom of the press has considerably been diminished.
The recent Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders highlighted Ghana’s decline in press freedom; whereas Ghana ranked 2nd in Africa and 26th in the world on the Press Freedom Index in 2016, the country ranked 9th in Africa and 62nd in the world in 2023.
While the Majority Leader, Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin, would have Ghanaians think that there has been considerable development, Ghana continues to experience a downturn in development and slowed growth due to bad monetary policies and economic mismanagement.
“Growth is expected to slow further to 1.5% in 2023 and remain muted in 2024 at 2.8% before returning toward its potential… Poverty is projected to worsen between now and 2025. Increasing to nearly 34% [international poverty line] by 2025, consistent with a muted outlook in services and agriculture and rising prices which are outpacing the income growth of those at the bottom of distribution”.
World Bank
The Blame Allocation
Disturbing is the incumbent government’s stance on the country’s current economic status. While every index or rate indicates that the country is not performing well, the government seems to have been living in oblivious bliss as it constantly puts out economic figures and statements that barely reflect the real conditions of Ghanaians.
“In spite of the challenges we find ourselves in, the government of Nana Akufo-Addo has made efforts to keep our lights on. In spite of all the challenges we face, the government has made efforts to sustain the Free SHS program. What is their offense?”
Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin
While the Majority in Parliament is grappling to find new ways of defending the government’s abysmal performance, the Minority is taking every chance to engage in unnecessary politicking and politicization. The Minority Leader in Parliament, Hon. Cassiel Ato Forson left no stone unturned in highlighting the failures of the incumbent government.
“The Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government told us that it was Planting for Food and Jobs, little did we know it was planting for food insecurity, inflation, and joblessness. This is in spite of the fact that this government has spent billions of Ghana cedis on agriculture, sufficient to completely transform the sector. But alas, the outcome is tragic! Mr. Speaker, Ghana today ranks among the top five countries in the world with the highest food inflation”
Hon. Cassiel Ato Forson
While the Majority and the Minority Leaders both made good submissions, the SONA debate is a huge failure as it has achieved nothing but granted these leaders an opportunity to praise their respective governments blindly.
A true SONA debate in Parliament should bring forth ideas and solutions to the economic and social challenges of the country. The SONA debate should not be a platform for politicians to be petty. It, as a matter of necessity, must result in development and growth not widen the already divided ideological gap between the two caucuses.
Accordingly, a true SONA debate should not solely focus on apportioning blame as is usually the case in Ghana. The SONA debate should be a platform where differences are put aside to provide a common solution to issues of Ghanaians whose taxes are used to pay politicians who do a bad job representing Ghanaians and their interests.
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