Opinions of Tuesday, 26 June 2018
Columnist: P.K.Sarpong
The Vice President of the Republic, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is without a doubt the most effective Vice President of Ghana in recent history. Since his days as a deputy Bank of Ghana Governor, Mahamudu Bawumia has distinguished himself as a powerhouse of knowledge in the field of economics and management. He is leading the economic revolution in Ghana by championing policies that have taken us decades to embark on as a country.
It can also be recalled that prior to the 2016 general elections, then vice presidential candidate to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Dr Bawumia constantly took the Mahama administration on over the poor management of the economy under their watch. His prognostic ideas and policy alternatives were hailed by even members of the then Mahama administration. Without a doubt, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia is a cistern of sound policies and programmes idyllic to develop Ghana.
Disheartened by the meteoric rise of Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia in terms of his exemplary performance in many areas of our governance structure, and in line with their unflagging zeal to besmirch him so as to stem his continuous rise to the top, the NDC has made it a daily hobby to attack him. He has become a target for unjustifiable and constant vilifications.
The latest to have descended on the Vice President is Michael Kpessah Whyte of the NDC. According to him, his shameful attack on the hardworking Dr Bawumia is to the effect that timelines he gives as to when policies are to commence have sometimes been wayward. He cites timelines given to the implementations of the Ghana Card, Paperless Transaction Policy at the ports, Digital Addressing System and some few others which have seen fructification, their timelines were missed, according to Kpessah Whyte.
Kpessah Whyte conveniently refrained from expanding his tentacles to capture the fact that these projects are eventually delivered and the many other initiatives from Dr Bawumia which have been achieved within the given timeframes. The following are some of the innovative policies from the outfit of the Vice President;
The Land Reforms Digitization, Nation Builders Corps, Smart Drivers’ License, E-business Registration and Certification, the famous Mobile Money Payment Interoperability, the ongoing value for money conference on the construction of school buildings, roads, hospitals etc, among other policies have been delivered within given timelines. Drones technology to distribute drugs and medicines to rural areas are also being introduced thanks to Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia.
The efficacies of these policies can be seen by testimonies given by Ghanaians who patronize these services. A Ghanaian Professor resident in the US, Prof. Jarjisu SA-Aadu recently secured a driver’s license within 24 hours after application. Several testimonies have been given by many Ghanaians over how effective these life-changing policies are.
While Ghanaians have hailed the Vice President in particular and the Akufo-Addo administration in general for fulfilling these major campaign pledges, the NDC is obsessed with when they are realized. Ghanaians care very little when these life-changing policies are achieved, all they want to see are these promised policies realized and working effectively.
The NDC promised to implement one-term health insurance policy but for reasons best known to them, they never saw the light of day. There were a great number of promises made by the NDC which were never fulfilled. Kpessah Whyte should stop harping on forms over substances. Fulfilling promises means a lot to the people of Ghana than when they are actualized. Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia deserves to be commended than chastised.