Mahama 100 Days: NDC Reset Marred By Controversial Arrests And Governance Stagnation
John Mahama is marking 100 days as president in a tenure that has so far ridden on massive goodwill but has been hampered by controversy
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Goodwill for President John Mahama remained high as he completed his first 100 days as leader of Ghana.
The National Democratic Congress rode on a message of resetting the country on its way to defeating the New Patriotic Party in the 2024 election.
Source: Getty Images
Every region is so far happy with governance under the Mahama administration, except the Ashanti Region, according to a survey by Global InfoAnalytics.
The survey noted that 62% of voters said the country was headed in the right direction, compared to 26% who said it was headed in the wrong direction and 12% with no opinion.
In the last tracking poll carried out in October 2024, only 32% of voters said Ghana was headed in the right direction, while 65% said it was headed in the wrong direction.
While the Mahama government’s approval remains high, some aspects of the promised reset have acted as a fly in the ointment.
A government spokesperson under the Akufo-Addo administration, Kofi Tonto, acknowledged some of the well-received gestures from the Mahama administration so far, regarding swift formations of governance and the scrapping of controversial taxes, among others.
But the elephant in the room remains the controversial arrests and raids made in the name of cracking down on corruption under the NPP's most recent administration.
As a political grouping that accused the Akufo-Addo administration of exhibiting dictatorial tendencies and witch-hunting political opponents, Tonto questioned why a so-called reset would mirror things previously criticised.
“Government is knee deep in dictatorial actions… these are things you complained about, but you are repeating the very things you complained about.”
"One can assume that Ghanaians voted for the NDC because they had issues with how we governed, so you don’t come repeat those ‘issues’ and call it a reset.”
Over the last three months, the government has targeted former Bank of Ghana governor Ernest Addison, former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, and John Ntim Fordjour, among others, with raids that were considered excessive.
Reindolph Afrifa-Oware, an analyst, also felt that the good chapters in the Mahama administration so far, like a relatively stabilised cedi and a well-received budget, were being marred by these arrests.
“In discussing the budget, I realised that it could help us build again,” he noted as a positive example.
He saw seeming vindictiveness as a red flag: “The reset we are experiencing now seems to be some kind of witch-hunt, which is not good for our governance.”
Ghana under Mahama: structural change needed
Afrifa-Oware stressed that the reset promised by Mahama needed to be about systemic changes, not one-off milestones likely to require heavy and long-term capital and investment.
Areas like housing and sanitation required a strong leadership presence, which he said has been absent from the Mahama administration so far.
The Ghanaian President had notably continued with the trend of packing state institutions with persons loyal to his party.
“You have less than four years, so if you are unable to give us leadership or show us the way, it means we will be stuck with the same challenges, and there is no need for a new government.”
Other red flags noted under Mahama
A recent survey by Global InfoAnalytics indicated that there was a marginal net-positive gain on the perception of the government’s fight against illegal mining.
On the question of whether the scourge known as galamsey had worsened under Mahama, the survey showed that only 10% believed it had, while 38% said it had improved.
When the data is disaggregated, the polls showed that in the regions where mining is carried out, 25% said it had worsened but 28% said it had improved, resulting in an improvement of +3%.
Source: Getty Images
However, some development under the new government has sparked concern from observers.
The quick establishment of a Gold Board has also got some observers like Tonto worried.
“You claim galamsey is an issue, but you come into power and within three months, you set up what you call a Gold Board, which is to aggregate all value chains of the government and hand it over to one person.”
The government has walked back on its promise to repeal the law that bars mining forest reserves, now promising an amendment.
It has also failed to meet its promised 30% threshold for women appointed in the Cabinet, among others.
In instances like these, Tonto said it would do the government well to be honest with Ghanaians.
“If they are honest and transparent as they tout themselves to be, you have to go back to the Ghanaian people. You don’t pretend that you don’t see the problem.”
Afrifa-Oware ultimately stressed that the reset agenda needs to be in touch with the pressing needs and systemic challenges of socio-economic development in Ghana.
“The reset agenda is not in commiserate with what is happening because there are structural challenges, which should be the focus.”
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Source: YEN.com.gh
