The Communication Directorate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Ashanti Region has taken notice of certain falsehoods peddled by Mr. John Dramani Mahama, the former President and failed Presidential candidate of the NDC in the 2020 elections on his uninspiring tour in the Ashanti Region. In addition, we will address few issues that came up during the tour that are of interest to NPP in Ashanti Region.
The aforementioned issues are:
1. Mr. Mahama alleged that the Medical Superintendent of Ejura was transferred because of his testimony before the Ejura Commission of Enquiry.
This claim by Mr. Mahama is blatantly false. The facts of the issue are as follows:
The Doctor was transferred earlier before the demonstration after working at Ejura for 8 years. Around the time, his father was deceased hence, pleaded with the Regional Director to let him finish the funeral before his transfer takes effect. It was during this period that the Ejura incidence happened.
He was transferred to Abuakwa Polyclinic. I guess anyone who knows that facility and its client’s base won’t say it is a punishment. Don’t forget too that the facility is also in Greater Kumasi.
It is therefore untrue for Mr. Mahama to say that the Doctor was punished with a transfer. It rather exposes Mr. Mahama’s lack of integrity.
2. Mr. John Mahama also laid on the Eurojet projects. It is basic knowledge that the brain behind the Eurojet projects was President John Agyekum Kufour in 2008. Funding for these projects started in 2008.
This is also reflected in the Annual Debt Management Report 2016 submitted and accepted by the Parliament of Ghana. Specifically, point 447 and 448 of the report indicates that the funding for the project was signed on 20th November, 2008.
It is also public knowledge that after assuming power in 2009, the NDC and Mr. John Mahama failed to complete even a single hospital out of the 9.
But they expended all the money meant for the projects. I dare ask him, “which hospital in Ashanti Region did he complete in the NDCs 8 years?”
Specifically, which of the hospitals at Kumawu, Fomena, Konongo, Bekwai,
Sewua and Afari did John Mahama complete? What happened to the funds? Thus far, the NPP government is on course to completing all of them. We had to secure additional funds to revisit the projects.
3. Mahama’s deliberate attempt to detach Manhyia Palace from the Kejetia market project was an act of ingenuity and insincerity. We wish to emphatically state that Manhyia is the brain behind the Kejetia project. The Central Government through Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly provided a guarantee for the project. It doesn’t mean that the project was the brain child of the NDC Government. We, however, appreciate their involvement in providing the guarantee but no attempt to be made to water down the role of the Manhyia in the Kejetia project.
4. Lastly, we want to condemn the tribalistic comments made by John Mahama once again in
Ashanti Region. First, he made claims that NDC faithfuls are treated like lepers in Ashanti
Region. That is not only insulting, it is also derogatory of persons with disability especially lepers. Again it is very disrespectful since NDC had over 700,000 votes in Ashanti Region, far greater than the votes NDC got in any other region. At least, you don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
Secondly, he made claims to the effect that the Ewe and Northern caucuses in Ashanti Region are in constant fight over party positions in the Region. This “do or die” posture you have infested the NDC with is playing out in the NDC in Ashanti Region so it came as a surprise that you found it worrying. If it isn’t good for NDC to practice “do or die” in intraparty politics then it cannot be right for Ghanaians to practice “do or die”. We believe that is very divisive.
In Ashanti Region, we believe that we are one people and we treat each other as such. There are no white, blue and black people in Ashanti Region. We disagree to agree. On this matter, we call on him to desist from such reckless divisive statements in future.
In conclusion, we urge him to be circumspect in his public utterances as they potentially smack of violence and divisiveness. From “do or die” to tribalistic and divisive comments; we don’t know how low you will get next time.
