Mahama is an incompetent nice man; presidency for doers not nice people – Bawumia

Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said former President John Mahama is an “incompetent nice man”, adding that the Jubilee House if for leaders who deliver the goods and not nice people.

“Many people say John Mahama is a nice man but being nice is not enough”, Dr Bawumia told the youth at the end of a health walk to climax activities marking the NPP youth wing conference in Tamale on Saturday, 7 December 2019, adding: “You must have the competence to manage the economy and solve the problems facing the country”.

“His [Mahama’s] record in the area of policy tells us that he is an incompetent nice man! The presidency is not for nice people. It is for doers! It is for effective leaders”, Dr Bawumia said.

Dr Bawumia also challenged the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to a show of records in office to enable Ghanaians judge who has met their aspirations the most.

Dr Bawumia is convinced that when pushed to a debate of facts and achievements, the NDC would have no leg to stand on and would resort to their usual refuge of obfuscation and goal-shifting.

He enumerated over 80 key denominators of national life in which the almost three-year-old NPP government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has performed better than its predecessor.

“I would like us to recall the situation when the NDC was voted out of office in 2016 because some people say we have short memories. You will remember that when we came into office, growth in agriculture was declining, industry growth was in the negative, interest rates were high, the banking system was weak, unemployment was rising, the NHIS was back to cash and carry. Emergency healthcare system was collapsing with only 51 semi-functional ambulances in the country, four years of dumsor with its costs.

“Average annual increase in electricity prices between 2010 and 2015 was 45%; public finances were in a precarious state. The government had to go to the IMF for a bailout and policy credibility. There were increases in taxes on many items including condoms and cutlasses. Freeze on public sector recruitment. Cuts in research allowances for lecturers. Abolition of teachers and nurses training allowances. Many parents could not afford school fees for their wards to attend senior high school. John Mahama’s flagship policy for the development of the north (SADA) was in tatters and mired in corruption”, the Vice-President said.

According to him, “The government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been in office for about 3 years. Even though there is still a lot to do, any objective assessment of our performance will agree that we have performed much much better than the situation that we inherited at the beginning of 2017”.

Zeroing in on the specifics, Dr Bawumia listed 87 different areas in which the NPP government has performed much better than its predecessor led by John Dramani Mahama, who is seeking a comeback.

They are follows:

1. When it comes to GDP growth, we have performed better

2. Agricultural growth - we have performed better

3. Industry growth - we have performed better

4. Inflation – we have performed better

5. Interest rates – we have performed better

6. Exchange rate depreciation- we have performed better

7. Fiscal Deficit - we have performed better

8. Rate of debt accumulation – we have performed better

9. Trade Balance - we have performed better

10. Current Account Balance- we have performed better

11. Gross International Reserves - we have performed better

12. Ghana’s sovereign credit rating – we have performed better

13. Creation of Jobs - we have performed better

14. Teacher Trainees Allowances - we have performed better

15. Nursing Trainees Allowances- we have performed better

16. Passport Application - we have performed better

17. Drivers Licence Application- we have performed better

18. Renewal of NHIS membership - we have performed better

19. Dumsor – we have performed better

20. Cost of electricity - we have performed better

21. Reducing Import Duties- we have performed better

22. Abolishing VAT on financial services – we have performed better;

23. Abolishing VAT on selected imported medicines - we have performed better;

24. Abolishing VAT on Real Estate Sales - we have performed better;

25. Abolishing VAT on domestic airline tickets - we have performed better;

26. Abolishing taxation of gains from the realisation of securities listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange - we have performed better;

27. Abolishing levies imposed on Kayayei - we have performed better;

28. Efficiency of clearing goods at the ports - we have performed better

29. Resourcing the institutions that fight corruption - we have performed better

30. Right to Information Act- we have performed better

31. Development in our Zongo communities - we have performed better

32. National ID Cards- we have performed better

33. Mobile Money Payment Interoperability - we have performed better

34. One district one factory – we have performed better

35. One Village One dam – we have performed better

36. One constituency one ambulance – we have performed better

37. National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Progamme (NEIP) – we have performed better

38. Digital Address System - we have performed better

39. Implementing the Nation Builders Corps – We have performed better

40. Securing higher global prices for cocoa farmers – we have performed better

41. Cleaning up the mess in the financial sector and saving the deposits of millions of depositors – we have performed better

42. Foreign Direct Investment – we have performed better

43. Successfully exiting the IMF programme – we have performed better

44. Increasing the capitation grant – we have performed better;

45. Equipping the security services – we have performed better

46. Introducing a nation-wide emergency 112 number for the police, fire and ambulance services – we have performed better;

47. Introducing a new basic curriculum from kindergarten to primary six with a focus on reading, writing, arithmetic and creativity (the 4Rs) – we have performed better;

48. Absorbing the cost of WASSCE registration fees for students – we have performed better; -

49. Absorbing the fees for post graduate medical training – we have performed better

50. Restoring research allowances in tertiary institutions – we have performed better

51. Introducing drones to deliver medical supplies and save lives – we have performed better;

52. Paying NHIS arrears that we inherited – we have performed better;

53. Paying the outstanding contributions to pension funds that we inherited – we have performed better;

54. Paying arrears to road contractors that we inherited – we have performed better;

55. constructing youth resource sports complexes across the country – we have performed better;

56. Relieving the pain of sickle cell sufferers through access to hydroxyurea – we have performed better;

57. Increasing the share of the DACF to persons with disabilities by 50% - we have performed better;

58. Employing persons with disabilities to man 50% of all our toll booths – we have performed better;

59. Providing a government adult shelter to support victims of human trafficking – we have performed better

60. Connecting rural communities to the telephone network in the last 3 years – we have performed better;

61. Increasing daily peacekeeping allowances for military from $31 to $35 per day – we have performed better;

62. Increasing daily allowances for police on mission from $30 to $35 – we have performed better

63. Establishing the Students Entrepreneurship Initiative (SEI) to inculcate the spirit of entrepreneurship in students – we have performed better;

64. Having transparency in the allocation of oil blocs – we have performed better;

65. Creation of new regions – we have performed better;

66. Bringing peace to Dagbon chieftaincy dispute- we have performed better;

67. Providing infrastructure to poor and deprived communities in every constituency- we have performed better.;

68. “One District One Warehouse Initiative.” – we have performed better;

69. Improving the conditions for prisoners – we have performed better

70. Protecting our water bodies against illegal mining – we have performed better;

71. Going paperless in our hospitals- we have performed better;

72. Online business registration at the Registrar Generals Department – we have performed better;

73. Digitising our courts through an e-justice program – we have performed better;

74. Establishing a Ghana Commodities Exchange – we have performed better;

75. Taking measures to establish an integrated Bauxite and Aluminium Industry – we have performed better;

76. Reducing flooding from the Bagre dam through the dredging of rivers like Nasia, Sisili – we have performed better

77. Discovering oil – we have performed better;

78. Revival of our Railways – we have performed better;

79. Starting the construction of 10 fish landing along the coast from Keta to Axim -we have performed better;

80. Award of Scholarships to students– we have performed better;

81. Revival of Anglo-gold Ashanti, and putting more people to work – we have performed better;

82. Reviving Ghanapost – we have performed better

83. Reviving the Ghana Publishing Company – we have performed better

84. Launching a comprehensive Building Code for Ghana for the first time- we have performed better;

85. Administering the performance of the annual hajj pilgrimage – we have performed better

86. Expansion of institutions, facilities and equipment for TVET – we have performed better

87. Implementing Free senior high school education- we have performed better

“When it comes to the performance of our government in our first term of office compared with the performance of the NDC, it is clear that: We have Performed Better!!!

Throwing down the gauntlet, Dr Bawumia declared: “When it comes to the performance of our government in the first term of office compared with the first term of office of the NDC (2009-2012) it is a clear case of “Boot for Charlie Wote!”