Former President John Dramani Mahama
• Catholic Bishops slammed government for not being sympathetic to the plight of Ghanaians
• NPP says claims by Catholic Bishops’ Conference lacks clarity
• John Mahama on the other hand says the NPP’s response is borne out of the arrogance of power
Former President John Dramani Mahama has equated the response of the New Patriotic Party to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, over their recent complaint of economic hardship, to insanity.
According to the former President, the response of the ruling party can be said to be an act of insanity induced by the arrogance of power.
“If they are saying Ghana is hard, do the things that will make things more affordable for the people of Ghana. But that is what we call the arrogance of power. They said when the gods want to destroy you, they first make you mad. Because this is madness. The Catholic Bishops have spoken; what is your business holding a press conference against them? Accept criticism in good faith”, the former President told a durbar of the National Democratic Congress party faithful in Ashaiman on Tuesday, November 9.
The Ghana National Catholic Bishops’ Conference at a plenary assembly held on Monday, November 8, 2021, criticized the government for its failure to fight corruption while bemoaning what the association described as a lack of empathy from the government of Ghana towards its citizens.
But reacting to the Bishops, the Director of Communications for the ruling New Patriotic Party, Yaw Buaben Asamoa said their criticism was without specifics and thus lacked focus and clarity.
However, according to former President Mahama, his tenure was equally characterized with various criticisms from the clergy and other civil society organizations.
He states that contrary to what the NPP is doing, he took such criticisms in good faith instead of what he says an arrogant response by the current government.
“During my government, I did not do a press conference to respond to them. Whatever they said I took in good faith and I took corrective measures,” the 2020 NDC flagbearer recounted.
Mr Mahama has thus challenged the ruling party to focus on addressing pertinent matters raised by the Bishops and Ghanaians instead of replying to criticisms.
