Mahama Blames Clergy For Ghana’s Woes

It appears former President John Dramani Mahama is on a blaming spree across the country as he makes desperate attempts to convince Ghanaians for their mandate in the 2024 general election.

In his latest fault-finding mission, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer has attributed the economic challenges facing the country to the clergy.

Mr. Mahama accused the men and women of God of what he described as their failure to speak out against the government’s inordinate borrowing practices and extravagant expenditures over the years.

He blamed the clergy for choosing to remain silent, leaving the NDC alone to bear the responsibility of criticising the government’s actions as there is not support from church leaders.

Addressing opinion leaders and NDC faithful in Techiman as part of his tour of the Bono Region, the former President expressed his disappointment with the clergy for their silence on the extensive borrowing to spend on what he described as non-existent projects by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.

According to him, the clergy’s lack of vocal opposition to the borrowing spree contributed to the current economic difficulties the nation is grappling with.

‘On the contrary’

Contrary to Mr. Mahama’s accusation, the President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Rev Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, recently attacked the Akufo-Addo government for supposedly allowing corruption to fester in the country.

At the opening ceremony of the 2023 Plenary Assembly of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, held in the Sunyani Diocese last week, Rev Gyamfi wondered why Ghana is still impoverished despite being an oil-producer.

“There have been no significant positive changes in the economy since we became an oil-producing country.

“What happened to the gold and other mineral resources? Why are most of our roads in such a deplorable state? Why do we keep going to the IMF? Why do we keep borrowing so much when we are a rich nation?

“Why are we in this economic and financial quagmire? The massive uncontrolled corruption is suffocating the nation. It appears corruption is legalised.

“What should Ghanaians do since the existing form of democracy help only a few and leaves the majority behind? What about the impunity and arrogance of some politicians and their defence of corruption?” Rev. Gyamfi quizzed.

Asking more questions, said “Should the Constitution not be changed or bettered for it to work for all Ghanaians instead of for a few? Should the legal system not be re-equipped to uproot corruption? What about our parliament, where the interest of the people is sacrificed for personal and party interests? Why have we not implemented the findings of the Constitutional Review Committee?”

“Can the governments explain to us why we are in this economic mess? What explanations can the two political parties give to Ghanaians for the unfavourable agreements we sign on our oil, minerals, power generation, etc.? Countries that have these resources in abundance are rich. Why do we remain poor? Ghanaians no longer accept the old explanations that the governments of Ghana have been giving.”