Last Tuesday, during the launch of the highlights of the manifesto of the National Democratic Congress, President John Dramani Mahama, as usual, only rehashed previous promises his government had failed to deliver after eight years in power.
One wonders how President Mahama expects Ghanaians to take him serious, knowing very well that many promises he had made in the past had not been fulfilled.
Trust is a very important ingredient in leadership. And leaders enjoy the trust of the people if they are seen to be making good the promises they make, as well as matching their utterances with actions.
This is one area President Mahama has failed miserably, making Ghanaians see him as a leader who says one thing and does another, and consistently employs deception and propaganda to create the rather false impression that he is committed to the well-being of the masses.
The litany of promises made by President Mahama only endorses the NDC’s governance of hypocrisy and deception.
In January 2013, the state-owned Daily Graphic reported President Mahama to have assured the nation there were better times ahead of the country, and that the economy would turn around that year.
Again, in the same year, the Daily Graphic carried another story reporting another assurance from the President to Ghanaians that the economy was on a strong footing as a result of his government policies and programmes. He added that the people would soon experience the impact of the strong economy in their lives.
Even before Ghanaians could feel the impact of the so-called strong economy in their lives, President Mahama yet again on February 26, 2014 gave another assurance, also reported by the Daily Graphic, to the effect that there were better days ahead.
All these presidential assurances and promises turned out to be complete deception, with the realities on the ground showing that President Mahama has rather foisted untold hardship on the people.
In spite of all these, President Mahama on Tuesday stood before Ghanaians and yet again made countless promises, expecting the good, but suffering, people of Ghana to take him serious.
President Mahama and his functionaries can continue with their politics of deception, but they can be assured that the good people of Ghana can no longer be taken for a ride.
As Togbe Afede XIV, Agbogbomefia of Asogli, has rightly pointed out, the people are now fully conscious of the fact that politics is all about development, especially using the resources of the country for the benefit of all, and not a select few. "Politics is not an end in itself; it must bring development and happiness to the people, not a select few. It must create opportunity for all,” the prominent Chief pointed out.
Ghanaians now appear to be unanimous in their conclusion that President Mahama and his functionaries see governance as a means to use the resources of the country to promote their financial gains, while employing deception, propaganda and lies to create the impression that they are working for the people.
Happily, the increasingly discerning people of Ghana have seen through this, and that is why they cannot trust President Mahama with another term.
Source: The New Statesman
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