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Come for a debate and I will answer your five flimsy questions – Bawumia tells Mahama

The political exchange between Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, and former President John Mahama has intensified, with each challenging the other over key economic and governance issues. Mahama’s questions, raised during a gathering with NDC supporters in Tatale, criticized Bawumia’s handling of economic matters as Vice President, particularly questioning the depreciation of the cedi, inflation, debt accumulation, borrowing from the Bank of Ghana, and the perceived shift from economic issues to digitalization.

Dr. Bawumia responded by inviting Mahama to a public debate, positioning it as a fair platform for the Ghanaian public to evaluate each leader’s accomplishments and vision. Rejecting Mahama’s questions as “flimsy,” Bawumia presented his own comprehensive list of 50 questions, challenging Mahama’s tenure in areas like infrastructure, social policy, and economic reform. His list touched on policies related to healthcare, education, digitalization, and transparency, as well as specific developments in agricultural, industrial, and economic growth under the current NPP administration compared to Mahama’s time in office.

In his statement on social media, Bawumia expressed confidence in addressing Mahama’s questions but argued for a broader discourse on governance issues. He emphasized his accomplishments as Vice President, including the implementation of major initiatives such as the Zongo Development Fund, the National Identification System, paperless port operations, the One Constituency One Ambulance initiative, and Agenda 111. Both leaders’ calls for public accountability highlight the differing approaches of the NPP and NDC in addressing Ghana’s challenges, with the debate invitation underscoring a growing demand for direct political engagement ahead of the upcoming elections.

Here is the full list of questions exchanged between former President John Mahama and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in their recent political standoff.

John Mahama’s Five Questions for Dr. Bawumia:

  1. Exchange Rate: Why is the exchange rate GH¢17 to the dollar?
  2. National Debt: Why has Ghana’s debt risen from GH¢120 billion to GH¢767 billion in eight years?
  3. Inflation: Why did inflation rise to 54% under your administration?
  4. Bank of Ghana Borrowing: Why did you borrow GH¢42 billion from the Bank of Ghana?
  5. Economic Shift: Why have you stopped discussing the economy and shifted to digitalization?

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s 50 Questions for John Mahama:

  1. Can you name any broad-based social intervention policy that you implemented as President?
  2. Why did you run advertisements against free Senior High School (SHS)?
  3. Why did Ghana experience more than four years of power outages (Dumsor) under your government?
  4. Why did the banking system almost collapse under your government?
  5. Why did you cancel teacher training allowances?
  6. Why did you cancel nursing training allowances?
  7. Why did the National Ambulance Service virtually collapse under your government?
  8. Why was your government unable to create even a quarter of the jobs that our government has created?
  9. How many nurses, teachers, police officers, immigration officers, and service personnel did you recruit as President?
  10. Why did you implement the three-month pay policy for teachers?
  11. Why did you cancel the car import duty waiver for teachers and nurses?
  12. Why was average agricultural growth under your government (2.9%) less than half of what it is under our government?
  13. Why was industry growth under your government lower than it is under our government?
  14. Why was overall GDP growth under your government lower than under our government?
  15. Why did your government have no industrial policy for Ghana?
  16. Why has our government constructed four times more roads than yours?
  17. Why has our government constructed and is constructing more hospitals than yours?
  18. Why has our government constructed and is constructing more schools than yours?
  19. Why has our government constructed and is constructing more fish landing sites than yours?
  20. Why has our government constructed and is constructing more courts than yours?
  21. Why has our government constructed and is constructing more public libraries than yours?
  22. Why has our government constructed and is constructing more sports facilities than yours?
  23. Why has our government constructed and is constructing more airports than yours?
  24. Why has our government constructed and is constructing more Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) institutions than yours?
  25. Why has our government constructed and is constructing more interchanges than yours?
  26. Why has our government overseen the provision of more NCA-licensed fiber optic cables than yours?
  27. Why has our government constructed and is constructing more sanitation facilities than yours?
  28. Why has our government constructed and is constructing more waste recycling plants than yours?
  29. Why has our government provided 70% more scholarships to students than yours?
  30. Why has our government constructed and is constructing more infrastructure in Zongo communities than yours?
  31. Why has our government provided more vehicles and equipment to the security services than yours?
  32. Why has our government constructed and is constructing more hospitals than yours?
  33. How come your government was unable to issue any significant number of National Identity Cards (Ghanacards)?
  34. Why was your government unable to resolve the issue of ghost workers on government payroll?
  35. Why did only 4% of Ghanaian adults have Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) under your administration, compared to 85% under our government?
  36. Why was your government unable to digitize operations at the port to reduce corruption?
  37. Why was your government unable to implement a nationwide property address system?
  38. Why was your government unable to achieve the level of financial inclusion that we have?
  39. What did your government do to support children with cancer, sickle cell patients, and those needing kidney dialysis?
  40. Why did you fulfill only 28% of your promises in your 2012 manifesto?
  41. What steps did your government take to address rent advance payment issues?
  42. What did your government do to assist individuals having difficulty enrolling in or renewing their National Health Insurance?
  43. What did your government do to promote the creative arts and tourism?
  44. How did your government address emergency drug, blood, and vaccine deliveries to remote areas?
  45. How did your government address issues faced by students unable to access student loans due to lack of guarantors?
  46. What policies did you champion or initiate as Vice-President?
  47. Why was your government unable to implement free technical and vocational education?
  48. Why did your government fail to absorb examination fees for Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) students?
  49. Can you provide a coherent explanation of your 24-hour economy proposal?
  50. What specific measures did you implement to combat corruption during your presidency?

Dr. Bawumia concluded by emphasizing that he has spearheaded initiatives such as the Zongo Development Fund, E-Pharmacy, Ghanacard, the Digital Property Address System, Mobile Money Interoperability, paperless ports, and the One Constituency One Ambulance initiative, and invited Mahama to a debate.

This exchange underscores the contrasting approaches of both leaders, with each pushing for accountability on their respective records and highlighting key differences ahead of the elections.

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