The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has a constitution. It provides that one year before a presidential election,
the party’s candidate shall nominate his running mate. This would be the person who would potentially
become the President, should two eventualities happen. These eventualities are that the NPP’s
Presidential Candidate would be elected, and secondly, that the President, once elected, would demise
(die), or be unable to continue with the functions of his office.
For any person, it should not be a decision that is arrived at in a cavalier manner. It should be after much
careful thought, introspection and consideration of all that the person would bring on board. And the
person should be someone who brings a benefit, not a liability who would create a problem wnytime he
opens his mouth.
In spite of the constitutional stipulation, the deadline came and passed, and Bawumia failed to deliver. A
month passed, two, three, four, five and in the sixth month after the deadline has passed, he brought a
name. The name was Matthew Opoku Prempeh, a man many in the NPP deeply dislike, with reason. He
has earned the tag of being arrogant, stand-offish, high-browed with a high opinion of himself. Even in
the NPP, Opoku Prempeh was going to be a hard sell.
His choice, of course, is not surprising; Bawumia caved in to the pressure of ‘Ashanti Region’, but
definitely the wrong ‘Ashanti Region’.
You see, the Ashantis love their chiefs, but they are also highly alienated from their chiefs. Yes, the
Ashantis vote NPP, but would they necessarily vote for the person selected by their chiefs?
We live to see; the ballot box will speak after December 7, 2024. While we wait for the ballot box to
speak, we were shocked into awe, disbelief and into complete dismay, how the man Bawumia bet his
kingdom on, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, decided to let it all hang out by mounting a completely
unprovoked attack on Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
Sometimes, one can choose his own pill by which to die indeed. I wish I was a fly in the bedroom of the
Bawumia household the night after Opoku Prempeh dropped his major gaffe.
Education can do so much for a man. Then his true colours would show. I am sure that from now to
December 7 th , an attempt would be made to find a coach for Napo. Definitely, anytime he picks a
microphone, all would be on edge, waiting for him to end whatever he is saying.
Funny.
On which issue, the Presidential Candidate of the NPP, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, has thrown down the
gauntlet. He is challenging Mr. John Dramani Mahama, the man seen as his principal opponent in
Ghana’s upcoming general election, to a debate. Of late, Mr. Mahamadu Bawumia has made that his
principal baiting point. Predictably, Mr. John Mahama has been unwilling to accept the challenge.
For good reason; if you give him a chance, Bawumia would spin-off, through his unique guffaws, a slew
of economic figures (his favourite word is ‘data’) that would mesmerize the unwary. Mahama does well
in staged games, but he is not that strong in a head to head, unless he has had the opportunity to deploy
a Hassan Ayarigah to develop a disconcerting coughing spree anytime his opponent opens his mouth.
Bawumia’s strident calls for a debate, is possibly hinged on the fact that he has designs on setting the
stage. It should not be a surprise. Hassan Ayarigah’s antics at a previous such occasion, and the fact that
some people who presided over such events rose from there to reveal their deeply partisan natures and
designs, should give an individual like John Mahama pause before jumping feet first into any such
challenge.
However, I would move forward with the premise that sometime down the line, but definitely before
December 7, 2024, there will be a Presidential debate in Ghana. When (not if) that debate takes place, I
propose that three main topics be placed at the center. These are galamsey, food security & the
economy. For my money, the three are the biggest issues facing Ghana at present.
With galamsey, for instance, vast amounts of Ghana’s forests, and hundreds of miles of river bodies,
have been destroyed in a craze to dig up gold.
The assault is led by officials of the ruling NPP (the party Bawumia currently leads), chiefs (unscrupulous
chiefs, many from the tribal backyard of the President) and wicked national wreckers. In the process,
much of Ghana’s flora and fauna has been destroyed, perhaps irretrievably.
Interestingly, the government of the day is involved in this wanton destruction of the environment, by
directly contributing state resources to perpetuate this blight.
Even more interestingly, Bawumia has never, publicly, admitted that his party and government’s
handling of the issue of illegal mining has been dreadful. He has carefully and strategically stayed away
from the topic (this is something he does well, playing the ostrich around obvious problems), but I
suggest that whether he likes it or not, the issue of the environment (and not free education) should be
made the number topic in any presidential debate. We should place it on his plate, at the biggest forum
possible.
He should be made to tell us, in clear black and white, his plans to chase Chinese illegal miners and their
Ghanaian collaborators out of our forests and out of our waters.
The second issue that Bawumia should not be allowed to run away from is the burning issue of food
security. Ghanaians are been priced out of good food to eat. Many homes are being forced into a slow
and certain starvation, because people simply cannot afford to buy food to eat. It is just too expensive to
go to the market.
Bawumia must be forced to confront this fact.
The third issue, is the economy.
There is no doubt at all, that Ghana’s economy is distressed, and likely to become worse. The Ghana
Cedi, the currency, continues to fall. The debt situation, in spite of unlawful haircuts, continues to be
top-heavy and unsustainable. Expenditures continue to remain out of control, because the sitting
President refuses, just refuses to acknowledge that some prestige projects should be abandoned, or
more suited to economic reality.
Government itself has demonstrated that it is spend-drift and wasteful, and seems totally averse to any
suggestions of cutting down and stepping back.
When the debate comes up, as it will, we must all collectively ensure that we hit the two primary
candidates with the issues that matter; the destruction of the environment, the looming food crisis in
the cities and towns, and the economy that the two political parties have destroyed with such abandon.
(The column ‘Periscope Depth’ is published every Monday in the Daily Searchlight).
