LETTER TO HE. JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA

Sir, I pray and hope this letter reaches you in good health. Sir, I have resolved to write you this letter based on a strong inner conviction and my personal observations and views about your very action in the near future, that I believe, would make a strong case or otherwise for the National Democratic Congress, NDC, a party on whose ticket you served as a Member of Parliament, rose to the position of a Deputy Minister and later Minister.

A party on whose ticket you became a Vice President and later President. A party on whose ticket, today, you are referred to as a former president of the Republic of Ghana.

Sir, it is true that in your recent participation in the NDC Unity Walk in Bolgatanga, the Upper East Regional capital, you indicated that you would make your future political intentions known rather soon.

Sir, that is respected. As an individual citizen, you have the right to make declaration to participate in political contests, or otherwise. That must be granted you.

At this stage, sir, I am sure you are firming up your decision. Or, if not firmed, are in a process to firming it up. There are only two options: you are either interested in contesting to become president again as the constitution allows you that right, having served one of two term limit set by the same constitution, or, you are not interested in contesting for any elections for the mere fact that even as a former president, you are gaining much recognition in the international space for the quality leadership you exhibit while you were president.
Sir, you have demonstrated courage, determination, and capacity since becoming a former president after the 2016 elections. Your leadership in the Kenyan elections on an international mission, as well as your leadership in leading a solid delegation to observe and resolve knife-edge volatile situation in Sierra Leone that resulted in a peaceful election a couple of months ago can easily be mentioned.

Sir, locally, while president, you exhibited courage to take certain decisions that were meant for the good of the generality of the Ghanaian public. Unfortunately, there was an opposition that capitalized on the needs of the people at the time, which could readily be classified as immediate gratification. Indeed, since losing power, you have been proven to be right.

You were on record to have adopted a different approach in the implementation of Free Senior High Education. You were not against free education. You anticipated it and that informed the decision to add 200 new Community based Senior High Schools to the existing stock. You were focused on expanding access, while progressively, introducing the free education once the facilities are in place.

Have you not been proven right that the then opposition waged a campaign on the back of claims that indeed, free education would be introduced to ALL Ghanaian children in Senior High school? Sir, you have. Today, the free education introduced, has been limited to some students in Form 1. Others have been cut off and are paying fees over an imposed limitation because of their peculiar difficulties in meeting criteria set by government.

Sir, again, have you not been proven right, that student nurses were hoodwinked into believing that you were wicked when you proposed and implemented a policy that would ensure that the allowances were abolished to make way for additional nurses to be admitted while the resources are channeled towards building and expanding hospital facilities to guarantee their employment?

Sir, in addition, have you not been proven right that today, as a result of the lies waged against you, nurses are picketing the Ministry of Health, with others demonstrating to demand immediate placement? Sir, is it not the case that due to this deceit, nursing trainees and their families, sensing an opportunity, were led to vote against you? Is it not the case that today, because there is severe level of cluelessness, government is faced with a huge challenge of unemployed nurses and are driving them into a scheme whose future after 3 years is unknown?

Sir, you had a plan. To you, building additional hospitals, expanding existing ones, building CHPS compounds, among others, would resolve the issue of unemployment of nurses. You knew that over the years, and especially, considering the fact that the previous NPP government before you, constructed no huge hospital during its entire 8 years to provide employment for nurses, you were guided by wisdom to build to resolve a threat that was building up.

Your opponents, sensing that the facilities weren’t ready to employ nurses at the time, identified their interest and took advantage of their vulnerability while capitalizing on the momentary plight of their counterparts at school, to secure their mandate.

Today, you can be credited with some very modern hospitality structures across the country. The Legon Medical Center is one, the Ridge Hospital is another, the Wa Regional Hospital is one, the Kumasi 37 Military Hospital is one, the expansion works on the Ghana Police Hospital is one, the Maritime Hospital is one, the Fomena District Hospital as well as the Dodowa District Hospitals are credited to your legacy among many others.

Sir, in the area of basic education, even though the previous Kufour administration claimed to have introduced free education, across the country, we could see the unavailability of structures to accommodate the surge in numbers. As many as over 3,000 schools were identified under trees. From your predecessor Prof. Mills under whom you served as Vice President, you managed to replace over 1,300 schools under trees with solid and befitting structures to aid the education of our children.

Sir, you and Prof. Mills ensured that structures at the Senior High levels, were expanded. You were greeted with the reality of the implementation of an ill-thought-through policy of a 4-year duration for Senior High School against the very advice of the committee established by the then administration to advice on same. Schools were congested as students who should have exited school after their 3rd year had had to stay on for one more year while new admissions were made without any provision for additional Dormitories , Dining Halls among others to accommodate the surge.

You did not relent. You never were shot down. You set out immediately to provide structures across the various Senior High Schools across the country. That shame was never witnessed because of the swiftness with which you acted to build to accommodate, the reason why some may have forgotten the effects of implementing policies without any provisions as seen at the time, and as we see today following the commencement of the implementation of the Free SHS.

Sir, is it not a fact that school children were posted into schools you have not even completed, an indication that they were badly needed to enable our children to acquire decent education? Is it not a fact that school children were posted to schools you just completed and yet to fit for use, to sit on the floors? We all saw the pictures. Is it also not a fact that school children, as a result of the surge in numbers at the secondary level over the implementation of free SHS, were seen sitting on blocks, adjusting on desks in their numbers, sleeping under trees, feeding on parks, among others, to receive education?

Indeed, sir, you worked. You built huge infrastructure, provided solid roads, installed various power generation capabilities to resolve the power challenges this nation faced as a result of deficits handed down. You expanded access to electricity to communities in a record never witnessed before you, you provided access to potable water to over 80% of both urban and rural folks.

Sir, to be seen to develop, you must be seen to build befitting structures that follows that growth and development. Economically, your efforts have seen a downward movement of inflation, a reduction in the Treasury Bill rate to a record low in January, 2017. Your policy of zero domestic borrowing which was meant to provide the fiscal space for local and indigenous industries to access financial support locally, was yielding. Your efforts led to a prediction in growth in figures that are showing today, for the 2017 fiscal year by credible international financial institutions. Your solid foundation was recognized and provided the solid base for those predictions that are manifesting today.

Today, the growth of 2017 was largely linked to the expansion in oil exploration and sale in the year, 2017. Your vision to build additional FPSOs have realized to the current government, a growth they are boasting about. Indeed, you were visionary.

You were sincere. You were truthful to the people. You communicated the very little, to the very detail. You didn’t want to be seen to be lying to the people. As unpleasant as some were, and having a clean heart that we needed to chart that path if we must grow, you dared lead the crusade. Your opponents were aware you were right. They knew you were telling the truth. But, they needed power.

They knew that the first step to governance is to win power. They never bothered how that came. They must tell everything and anything that would draw to them, sympathy. They studied the mood of the people, and developed a populist message that was meant to deceive them. Yes, people were led to seek immediate gratification because they were made to believe that no matter what you envisaged, they still could be enjoying a good life without any need to sacrifice their bread today for tomorrow.

The galamsey issue is one. Your opponent denied every message that indicated that he would end galamsey. As unfortunate as the menace is on the Ghanaian environment, the then candidate Akufo-Addo had to lie and deny that such claims were true. What do we see today? An instruction to shoot and kill anyone spotted on a galamsey site without opportunity for trial; excavators are being burnt to the ground, heavy and expensive earth-moving equipment are being rendered useless by a government that lied its way to power.

While all these records are there, you were painful rejected in the previous elections. Today, many citizens are realizing your kind. They are recognizing how angelic you were, how sincere you were to them, and how committed you were towards developing this country to a level anticipated to place this country high above its counterparts on the African continent.

Now that you have been vindicated for your efforts and have been proven to be a victim of vile political propaganda waged in lies, I believe I can make a call on you.

Sir, as for me, it doesn’t matter what others think of your yet-to-be-made decision. But, I do care. It matters so much to me. I want you to make a favourable decision to contest for the flag bearershing race of the NDC and if you emerge its candidate, lead the party into the 2020 elections.

I am of the view that if the NDC has a clear chance of winning power in the 2020 elections, you are its best candidate. That is not to say that if you declare to decline interest in contesting, the NDC is out of the race. Your record is impeccable, and incomparable to any towards the 2020 elections. I dare say, that the months left of this current government, cannot do any magic to record achievements near what you have achieved. Should you decline, that would mean more work to market the newly elected flag bearer. That commitment, shall be made to the party to support its candidate at all times.

But, sir, I want you in the contest. I have raised very cogent matters that I believe makes you a credible alternative to the Akufo-Addo-led NPP. You can best speak to your records. You can best be presented as the true and true lover of Ghana. You can be seen best as having committed your time, effort, and energy to building this country. Nurses would have recognized the fact that the Nation Builders Corps (NaBCO) would not have been your alternative to them. They would have realized that you were building hospitals for them, many of which have been abandoned by this administration.

Teacher trainees, would have realized that they were deceived into believing that a certain allowance was to be introduced. As we speak, those who are suspected to have benefitted from the supposed restored allowances are required to refund the money before their certificates are handed to them. They would have realized that today, government is planning to convert their institutions into degrees awarding institutions, a first step towards withdrawing their allowances so claimed to have been introduced.

Our rural folks would recognize the fact that you were the one who cared about their welfare. They would have realized that since you left, electricity expansion to them had stalled, that the CHPS compounds earmarked for them, have been abandoned. They would have recognized that their roads, which you had plans for, have been abandoned without any hopes of getting back to them by this government. They would have recognized, that access to water, which was a priority to your government, and which was being executed with speed, is of no use to this current administration.

Sir, Ghanaians would have realized that you are their best and surest bet if the future of their children who are into nursing colleges, teacher training colleges, among others, those who are willing to venture into entrepreneurship, would have recognized that you were on a path towards developing this country for their good.

Those who are morally concerned, would realize that you were the man who can tell them the truth. They would have come to terms with those who deceived them. They would measure the conduct of this government on Gitmo 2 as against their disposition towards the US military deal. They would realize that anytime this government has its back on the wall, you are its solution. They will return you to power God willing.

However, sir, I am sure you have come to recognize that internally, there have been things that were not done right. You would know by now that some are not for your candidature, not out of hatred, but for not meeting certain of their expectations. I would want you to find a way to lay out a solid plan for the progress of your party members who are equally qualified to benefit from any available opportunity this country has to offer, while you work to resolve the general challenges of all Ghanaians.

Indeed, your party members are those who would work to ensure your victory. And they must be made to recognize that their toil were not for nothing.

Sir, I will drop my pen here as my ink appears to be running out. I pray and hope this letter reaches your table, and receives the most favourable response from your high office. I know you have nothing to lose because you would continue to receive your remuneration as a sitting president till your maker calls you. But, I believe Ghana would be the greatest loser if you fail to lay to her, your potentials and energy. Come back and contest sir.

Till I hear from you, I have high hopes and expectations that you will declare to contest, and I shall lend my full support to you. Thank you.

ASK