This statement is released against a personal vow I made since leaving office. I made a personal affirmation to allow our new President and his government to get the needed space to get a hold of things and settle down quickly to tackle the important business of governance, and by extension nation building. Having been Vice President for the past eight years, I have come to appreciate the enormity of the task; a task that requires that those entrusted with the responsibility of governance, especially the President, get the needed support and composure to implement their vision for the betterment of our dear country.
Unfortunately, I need to speak up on recent developments that pose significant threats to our democracy. To look away whilst these ills persist is to abandon my responsibility to remind President Mahama and his government of the overriding duty to live by the democratic tenets envisioned in the 1992 Constitution and do justice and “right to all manner of persons”. When Ghanaians voted for change in the 2024 general elections, it manifested the desire to continue with national development, albeit with different people at the helm of affairs. It was within this spirit that I gave an early concession speech, urging all Ghanaians to support our new president as he attempts to make his contribution to the cumulative progress successive governments have chalked over the years.
Since the assuming office, however, the government of President Mahama has pursued a series of actions targeting Ghanaians who were legitimately employed during the previous administration. It is ironic that a party which campaigned on the wings of jobs for all Ghanaians is arbitrarily dismissing the same Ghanaians, rendering them jobless, just because a different government employed them to put their talents to bear on the nation’s development and earn income to cater for themselves and their families.
The least a party that campaigned on jobs could do under conditions of unemployment is to also innovate and create jobs rather than dismiss people.
Regrettably, these dismissals have been extended to directors who are public servants and not politicians. In some of the cases, the only reason for dismissal was that the persons whose livelihoods have been destroyed are known to or related to politicians as if to suggest that they cannot live independent professional lives, however qualified they are. There are also reports of government’s intention to terminate the appointments of persons performing critical jobs such security personnel, nurses, and teachers simply because they were appointed during the tenure of the previous administration. That will be most unfortunate.
Furthermore, there is a general atmosphere of insecurity with attacks on journalists, the use of our military to raid the homes of former government officials and communities, as well as mobs attacking innocent individuals and state institutions. This is rather reminiscent of a military takeover and not a peaceful democratic transition. These are certainly worrying times for our democracy, and the earlier action is taken to protect institutions and democratic practice, the better it would be for Ghana’s forward match.
Ghanaians understood the promise of change to mean discarding the ills associated with the governance of our nation since 1992 and also an opportunity to show the way for future governments. There is no reset by repeating or escalating what may have happened in the past. Therefore, I call on His Excellency President Mahama to be a president for all Ghanaians by putting a stop to these developments, reversing the unfair dismissals, and protecting all our citizens.
We must advance our democracy.
We must protect our state institutions.
We must uphold our Constitution.
Ghana can do better. Ghana must do better!
Thank you
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia
