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Opinions of Friday, 14 October 2016

Columnist: Daily Guide

Desperate Mahama’s Plan “B”

President John Dramani Mahama President John Dramani Mahama

It has become evidently clear that the National Destructive Company (NDC) which is managing corporate Ghana is on its way out.

The shareholders of Ghana Incorporated have been shortchanged over the past eight years by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), having first being the Deputy Chief Executive Officer for close to four years and as the substantive CEO for corporate Ghana for almost another four years.

In business terms, the share value of corporate Ghana has fallen drastically, our business partners have lost faith in Ghana Incorporated, the fortunes of the company is on the downward spiral, and majority of the company's departments continue to produce far below capacity.

It is hugely indebted to its trading partners all over the place, it owes almost every neighbour within the vicinity, it owes its workers in various departments of the company. Its indebtedness to workers all over notwithstanding, it has contracted a lot of loans from external business entities and group of individuals all over the world at unreasonably high interest rates to the chagrin of not just its shareholders but even the international community. Consequent to this, the company's interest obligations to its creditors annually is far bigger than its development budget internally for growth and development.

The CEO has also monopolized borrowings from financial institutions all over the territory such that small holder raw material suppliers as well as those businesses whose activities impact positively on the bigger Ghana Incorporated, are denied the financial oxygen to ensure their survival and production to feed the main factory. Even where they are able to access financial support, they come with huge interest rates which increase their production costs and make business very much unprofitable.

In the midst of this difficult operating environment, corporate Ghana is squeezing every drop of blood from the already anaemic businesses on the verge of collapse by way of taxes. Individual Ghanaians have become pale shadows of themselves, they are stressed up, depressed and feel depredated by a CEO in whose hands they have entrusted all their resources for efficient management for today and rainy days. The CEO, in the person of John Dramani Mahama has embarked upon a devil-may-care attitude while the people cry.

For four continuous years, this country has been plunged into a merciless, strangulating, suffocating dumsor which further asphyxiate the business environment, all the other factors notwithstanding. Homes, industry, commerce and service sectors of our economy have come on their knees under the CEO. Basic local food prices are beyond the reach of the poor in this country. Malnourishment among children is on the ascendancy.

Education, and quality education which should be the right of every child is now sold to the highest bidder in corporate Ghana under the CEO. Young energetic men and women with sparkling aspirations into the future, have had their dreams smothered earlier than they expected and their hopes shattered without any sympathy. Those who have gone through major sacrifices to have the education needed to help solve social problems are at home without jobs and even those who have been placed in various public places are not paid. Corruption and nepotism have been the major hall mark of the current managers of our collective resources.

The safety and security of this nation under the CEO has been limited to Police visibility and the BNI picking individuals for what to my impure security mind seemed trivial issues of no threat to the nation. Under John Dramani Mahama, the nation's otherwise serene river bodies and other natural resources are being destroyed in broad day light by criminals and foreigners with such grave impunity. Nobody under this administration cares about the future of this country knowing so well that water is the most important item for human existence and only second to the air we breathe. Their only pride is that they have borrowed to re-paint the factory, open up the road leading to the factory and furnished it with executive furniture. The production equipment remains old while the raw materials are absent.

The CEO and his chosen few have shown beyond all reasonable doubts that they are most incompetent group of managers this country has ever had the misfortune to have. It is in this vein and many others that the people of this country who are the shareholders of Ghana Incorporated, have decided to vote out the Board and Management of the company in the next Shareholders' meeting. So intense is their decision to oust the CEO and his selected few that the CEO has begun sharing various items whose absence to the shareholders in the past have led to the collapse of the individual shareholders, as they pry their micro businesses.

Outboard motors for fishing, whose prices stood at GH¢2,800.00 in 2009 and now sells for GH¢12000.00, are being offered for half the market price, which still remains twice as high as they were in 2009. In any case, why did the CEO had to wait until the Annual Shareholders' Meeting before giving out these goodies? A dishonest CEO with criminal motives clothed in magnanimity. Roofing sheets, aluminum pans for non-existing goods for the women, gas cylinders for people without gas cookers, expensive V8 vehicles for people who, on their own cannot even maintain those vehicles etc etc, all to corrupt them into retaining them in office to further plunder the company and bring it to its knees.

They collapsed the Youth Employment programme some six years back, all of a sudden, it has been resurrected and over 100,000 young people have been recruited but without salaries since May of this year. Sadly for the CEO, Ghanaians as shareholders have made up their minds to throw them out of office with their votes. That members of the public will look straight in the eyes of the CEO in a campaign with all the pomp and pageantry and tell him, 'Yerese sa mu' on the streets of Ghana is more than ample indication of the intolerance of the Mahama administration and his bunch of falsehood peddlers.

But, hei, don't be too complacent. Yes, you will vote Mahama out, but are you sure he will accept that peacefully? The major opposition party, having identified all the loopholes associated with rigging of elections in the past, the CEO's new strategy is to create chaos and possible mayhem on the day of voting and blame it on the NPP and Nana Akufo Addo. My impeccable source indicated that they have recruited and paid huge sums of monies to some young people predominantly and tactically selected from each of the Zongos throughout the country who are ready to die to ensure that the CEO remains in power.

These guys are going to be unleashed unto the polling stations on the day of voting, particularly in the strongholds of the opposition to scare voters, engage in ballot box snatching and beating up and maiming people all to ensure the 'Mahama Toaso' agenda. Additionally, some elements of the defunct 64 battalion, popularly known as the Commandos would be deployed in various areas throughout the country to brutalize voters and known functionaries of the opposition NPP.

That is the plan 'B' of the Mahama group, those preaching peace without regards for fairness and justice should revise their message because PEACE, as a concept, needs some ingredients to make it stand, and those ingredients are FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE. Nobody is going to accept unprovoked assaults from any quarters in the name of Peace. Those functioning in the Peace industry are aware of what is happening at Suhum where innocent young ladies are being brutalized for no apparent reason while the security agencies seem lethargic in dealing with the matter.

We in the NPP are not going to be quiet over such incidences in the name of PEACE should these acts of intimidations and brutalization become widespread on the day of elections; we will fight back and defend ourselves. Our tolerance of these intimidations and brutalities in the past do not mean weakness, it is our love for this country, but we will not tolerate this any longer.

Daavi, I am going for some Kallypo today.