[Article]: It is not cheap to fix the country

The NDC may well win the December 07 elections. Few days ago the NPP launched its manifesto.

The NPP summarised the manifesto like this: “our commitment to you is to invest in the growth of Ghanaian businesses, creat million of secure jobs for the youth, ensure individual and collective prosperity, safe communities, and to offer problem- solving leadership integrity.” 

The NPP has made fourteen pledges to deliver the party’s commitments.

The other day the NDC launched its ‘youth manifesto’ with over four billion cedis un-costed commitments to help the youth of Ghana. Mahama said: “A 24-hour economy will enable one job to be shared across three shifts and employ three persons, providing job opportunities for three workers instead of one.

This policy, which aims to drive economic growth, improve service delivery, and create jobs in both the public and private sectors, will prioritise the needs of our youth.

For the policy to thrive, the government will invest in security and public safety measures, including recruiting additional personnel and enhancing street lighting to promote nighttime economic activity.

Essential components of the public sector’s 24-hour services will include:
– 24-Hour Ports & Harbours
– 24-Hour Customs
– 24-Hour DVLA Services
– 24-Hour Passport Services, among others

I also intend to incentivise the private sector to operate 24 hours. Targeted sectors will include:
– 24-Hour Agro-processing
– 24-Hour Manufacturing
– 24-Hour Construction
– 24-Hour Sanitation & Waste Management
– 24-Hour Financial Institutions
– 24-Hour Retail and Tourism Services”.

The idea of three people doing one job on shift is yet to be tested in several areas of the economy. The NDC must tell Ghanaians how they plan to fund the 24-hour economy.

The NDC is putting together a narrative of where the NPP has led Ghana in the wrong direction, and what they would do instead. However, without a proper cost of funding the commitments become mere wishful thinking and the party is likely to fail in government.

Undoubtedly, the challenges facing Ghana are enormous.

Across the world, the economic outlook is bleak. There are the early signs of debt crises in the global south. Climate breakdown and geopolitical tensions are adding to the instability. Specifically with Ghana, the IMF imposition of debt restructuring is bearing heavily on Ghana.

Food prices continue to rise. Cement price has been increased in the last fews days. Tax on imported used cars are phenomenal. If year 2024 is bad, 2025 set to be worse. Borrowing Dr Bawumia’s famous words: ‘the people are suffering’.

However, if the global picture is grim, Ghana is uniquely underperforming. Ghana has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels of GDP. And this failed recovery comes after years of low productivity growth and real incomes stagnation.

If the NDC wins the presidential and parliamentary elections, Mahama will inherit an economic situation worse than that faced by any government since 1992.

The NDC would immediately face a recession, collapsing public services, high inflation, the rising costs of climate degradation and the stiff IMF conditions imposed on Ghana would provide no room for borrowing.

The major culprit in Ghana’s decline remains corruption and low productivity in all levels of government and industry. It is an undeniable fact that Ghana’s health service is on its knees today because there is no money.

President Akuffo Addo’s ideological flagship policy of free SHSS is impacting negatively right across the economy. It is like, Ghana is suffering from an incurable infection. The NDC has said they will review the free SHSS scheme.

Dr Bawumia in opposition said “the people are suffering”. He was right. Today, the people are crying because of real hardship and the apparent lack of leadership.

The NDC is right to sharpen its attack of the NPP for catastrophic economic and social failure. However, it is not enough to only point to the failure of the NPP government under the ‘Driver’ and his ‘Aplanke’.

The NDC must offer an alternative. If the NDC thinks that silence is a political prudent strategy, they need to rethink and provide clear alternatives.

If the NDC is going to break with the legacy of failure, it must spend more. The increase in spending must be done in tandem with strict institutional reform.

The question facing the NDC even as they plot their future is whether they have identified versions of the underlying institutional failures, both in the state machine and the wider economy.

May be they have.

The NDC will face the same challenges of the NPP to spend more from less resources. From the NHS to road construction and schools, every part of the public sector needs more cash.

Whatever the NDC in opposition is saying, the truth of the matter is that there is no magic wand to generate more revenue.

And in conditions of profound economic failure, and with the cedi performing very badly against the dollar, spending increases will have to be met by at least some tax rises. Tax rises?

Ghanaians have short memories.

The grave risk to the NDC’s programme is that its condemnation of the NPP and a few worthwhile ideas will fade very fast in government without money to improve public services.

I predict with certainty that in 2025/26 the public will react in protests, and strikes. So, the joy of winning the 2024 parliamentary and presidential election will be sweet in the mouth but bitter in the belly.

It is easy to make promises. It is not cheap to fix the country.

Source: Lead News Online 

The author is Pastor Ebenezer Jones-Lartey. He is a retired minister in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. He holds a degree in law. He is interested in human rights law.