Former Vice President and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Leader Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia says the current government has been badly exposed over its failed promises, thanks to the internet.
Speaking at the NPP’s National Thanksgiving Service at the Church of Pentecost in Sunyani this morning, Dr. Bawumia said every promise made to win power is now saved online and played back.
“Promises made to win power must be promises we can keep, because time tests every promise. Today we have something we call (internet meme) ‘A few moments later’. Whatever you say, it is saved on the internet, so when you come and you fail to honour what you promised to do, your own words will be played back to you,” he said.
“The NDC said so many things and today ‘omo akyi gu ho’ – they have been exposed,” he added, drawing loud cheers from the congregation.
Dr. Bawumia said the internet has become a powerful tool for accountability, with old campaign videos, posters and interviews now turned into memes that haunt the government.
He listed a number of promises he said have failed – GH¢6,000 per bag of cocoa for cocoa farmers, better prices for cashew farmers, automatic posting of teachers, cancellation of double track and teacher licensure exams, ending galamsey within one month, the 24-hour economy, and completion of Agenda 111 hospitals.
“They told soybean, rice and maize farmers many things, they have all been deceived. Teachers too, the same. Same with nurses and doctors,” he said.
“They said they were bringing 24-hour economy. We have been waiting for nearly 2 years to see it but it has not happened. They themselves don’t understand it so how can they explain it to us? It was campaign propaganda to deceive Ghanaians.
“Galamsey is even worse. Maybe when they mentioned 1:3:3 they meant galamsey because galamsey has now more than tripled. Dr. Sam Jonah said our river bodies now look like chocolate milk.”
A tale of two economies
According to Dr. Bawumia, Ghana now has two economies – a paper economy where government says inflation and dollar are down, and a pocket economy where cost of living is killing ordinary Ghanaians.
“You cannot have a stable economy with people suffering. Electricity bills, water bills, petrol and transport fares have all gone up. Traders are complaining because people are not buying their goods,” he said.
He said towards 2028, the NPP will present a different approach:
“Costed ideas, practical ideas, workable ideas. We are not going to promise Ghanaians what we cannot do.”
He ended by accusing government of suppressing free speech, saying “when people complain on radio and on the internet, they will come and arrest you. We are in an era of arrests.”