The conscious and consistent negation of the phrase ‘Fellow Ghanaians’ throughout President Mahama’s first State of the Nation Address (SONA) after taking office in January 2025 might have awakened the sleeping ears and conscience of the Minority caucus in Parliament.
The President’s address was devoid of the lamentations that characterised the many ‘Fellow Ghanaians’ template of SONAs and speeches the past eight years reign of former President Nana Akuffo Addo and Dr. Bawumia have bombarded Parliament and the airwaves with.
President Mahama replaced lamentations with confident acknowledgement of what best can be done about the mess and an ‘economic crime scene’ left by the previous administration, and promised to fix it. A visionary, listener, consensus builder and a problem solver that he is, he gave Ghanaians hope and lifted it to another level by making definite pronouncements and assurances.
“Today, inspired by the Almighty God and prepared by the massive mandate given to me by the good people of Ghana, I am moved to make a similar purposeful and bold declaration that I, John Dramani Mahama, I will fix the economic crisis confronting our country and reset it on the path of growth and prosperity”.
Ahead of the commemoration of Ghana’s independence from colonial rule, Mahama in his SONA injected hope to mark the independence from eight years of economic mismanagement, corruption, friends and family absurd governance, Judicial interference, electoral manipulations, State assets capture, media stifling, arrogance and impunity.
It is not surprising to see the minority in Parliament dressed in black uniform with a purpose. That purpose was probably to mark the death of their abused majority in 8th hang Parliament, and the soon to die political party in the ‘Intensive Care Unit’. If the disrespect and lack of understanding of a failed political party in opposition’s role is not lectured them to know what they ought to be doing, they will become a nuisance and financial loss to the State as elected Members of Parliament.
A stanzer of the national anthem will disgracefully become their choice of a dirge to sing after listening to a hope filled and uplifting address. One that is equally filled with measurable assurances that seem to have been the nail on their mourning coffin to induce and ignite the choice of the dirge. To them, truth and pragmatism has become oppression, it is new to them and at least understandable.
What is in the SONA that they did not find pleasing to cheer about, or at least take notes to help master the art of resurrecting a dying party?
IS IT STATE CAPTURE CORRUPTION AND ORAL?
When the message of hope radiated ORALLY in the chamber of Parliament to all Ghanaians, especially at the point H.E. the President was reiterating the essence of his ORAL initiative which many see as being transparent with the people about the crimes of some public officials and the need to punish the State looters and corrupt officials, he coincidentally sipped water from a transparent ‘ORAL’ glass to affirm transparency readiness.
He expressed the benefit of creating the ORAL committee before his divestiture, and that over 2000 complaints have been received and handed over to the Attorney General, citing the National Service and the Sky train deal arrests marking the beginning.
That pronouncement sent sharp shivers to the body of the minority who by their choice of uniform, and concentration on their phones with some periodic gestures that looked rehearsed, one could from afar mistake them for school children in uniform and in a classroom being taught the fundamentals of governance by a great teacher in the person of H. E. John Dramani Mahama.
OR IS IT THE JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE PART?
President Mahama did not mince words when he called out the perceived low marks scored by the Judiciary relative to independence, especially when he stated categorically that he will work with the Chief Justice to arrest the situation. What is not clear is whether it is the office of the Chief Justice, as an administrator of the Judiciary or it is Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, a Judge as part of Justices of the Supreme Court to perform her functional duties.
“My government will uphold the Judiciary’s independence, work with Judicial Council and services to depoliticize Justice delivery and collaborate closely with the Chief Justice to combat corruption effectively”.
This doubt arises because President Mahama did not say, I will work with Chief Justice Torkornoo to combat corruption effectively. This is in the wake of many pots being cleaned and prepared by known and unknown citizens to ‘cook’ petitions that will be palatable to the President, Judicial Council and Council of State’s collective consumption to remove the current Chief Justice from office. I bet if this has to be done, it will be done before the cooking pots are prepared again by the known or unknown Chefs to ‘cook’ and remove the Electoral Commissioner using similar ingredients that cooked and removed the former electoral commissioner, Madam Charlotte Osei just after the 2016 general elections.
The Chief Justice upon hearing her office invoked by the President, will nod her head to the left gently and begin tapping the palms on her lap with her fingers silently speaking loud to only those who can hear and understand the language of gestures in silence. The accompanying conscious stare at the sealing briefly in consonance with a brief left foot tap, summarily will take a full four-year term of President John Mahama to be decoded, if she were to remain Ghanaians continuous choice as Chief Justice, especially at the time many pots have been cleaned and prepared to ‘cook’ petitions against her.
IS IT THE INSTILLING INTERNATIONAL CONFIDENCE IN GHANA PART THAT ELUDED THE MINORITY.
The Diplomatic Corp present and listening needed some assurance and hope from the president radiating in their environments as well to make it easy marketing Ghana to their citizenry, businesses, and organizations to educate and guide about Sub-Saharan Africa.
President Mahama reminded them about the prospects and readiness of Ghana for business and healthy bilateral relations. As a testament to his love for peace and unity in the subregion, many leaders and heads of State did not have to blink an eye to respond to the invitation to his January 7, 2025 inauguration to affirm their readiness to support him succeed. A gesture he expressed will further deepen his commitment to democracy and global cooperation.
“Ghana remains committed to its Pan African ideals, Nonalignment, democracy and global cooperation and the rule of multilateralism, embracing a policy of friends to all, enemies to non”.
RADIATING HOPE TO ALL
If the Minority leader, had not prepared a rebuttal in advance for the gallery as usual, filled with inaccuracies to present in response to one of the motivational and uplifting SONA’s in Ghana’s history, where hope was scarce in many Ghanaian lives for the past 8 years of wayward governance that strived on division and arrogance to be buoyant and relevant, he, and his caucus would have in sincerity written a thank you note as their response to his H. E. President Mahama’s SONA for his call for all to put our minds on achieving the collective goal of resetting Ghana. President Mahama radiated hope in this call.
“Though the state of our nation may appear bleak and the task of addressing it may seem daunting, nothing should stop us from achieving our goals when we set our minds to it”
The call for unity and purpose irrespective of where one stands, and or disagreements in the past, was exemplified on that day to the admiration of many who will always see Ghana. The maturity displayed by the spouses of the third and fourth in command in the manning of Ghana’s affairs when in the unlikely event of an Executive vacuum, was a beautiful spectacle of unity to watch.
In silence but loudly expressed saw the two deflate perceived friction between Chief Justice and the Speakerof Parliament. Their spouses sat next to each other and their presence acknowledged at the same time by the Speaker. That beauty is worth emphasizing.
The John Mahama and Professor Naana Jane NDC government dare not disappoint the good people of Ghana. Else, the cheerful Nacee’s 24-hour economy melodious song their majority in Parliament happily sung to baptize the message of hope at the end of the SONA, though irritated the NPP from their hanging Parliamentary position in the 8th Parliament and dropped them to a ‘silly’ and ‘micro’ 38 percentile minority in the 2024 general elections, which is still not sinking in the heads of some Nsawam Adoagyiri chair and table remodelers and weight lifters, CANNOT stand a 24-hour enormity of Ghanaians in 2028.
I rest my PEN.
Mustapha Alhassan
Pennsylvania, USA.
