“Chi poco pensa molto erra”
[He who thinks little, errs much]
On December 15, 2013, Ghanaweb.com reported His Excellency John Mahama as saying that “Ghanaians have very short memory”. With some qualification, I agree with you, your Excellency. I crave your indulgence to modify the statement to read “some Ghanaians have very short memory”. On this we have a perfect agreement.
Indeed, “Some”, not “all” Ghanaians have very short memory. Your recent statement on how to solve the multiples of problems facing the Ghanaian economy leads me to think that you are among the Ghanaians that have short memory. But take or leave it, some other Ghanaians do not suffer from the disease of short memory. And given that you suffer from this debilitating disease called “short memory” your latest statement will be securely saved for the future and in the unlikely event that you become President again.
Your Excellency, you are right that the Ghanaian economy is troubled on many fronts. The debt level has risen astronomically. Budget deficit is high. Inflation is rising and cost of living is soaring. As you put it, urgent interventions are needed. Your recommendation for a Senchi-style dialogue on the economy is hard to disagree with. I have always thought of governments of developing economies beset by structural problems including ethnic divisions to do all in their powers to seek and foster national consensus. It helps minimize unnecessary tensions and focus national attention on the critical issues.
But Your Excellency before we get to Senchi (we may even decide to go Bole as part of consensus building and forging political accommodation) important issues in your statement deserve closer scrutiny. That examination should allow us to establish consensual frame and context before we get to another “Senchi Consensus”.
The 2022 troubled economy is vastly different from the economy you ran between 2009 to 2013 as Vice President and Head of Economic Management Team and 2013 to 2017 as Head of State.
The first issue I want to address is the economic growth dynamics. In 2013 when you became President, economic growth (7.1%) dropped to half of what it was in 2011 (14.4). From this point, the economy went into downward spiral, reaching a low of 3.4% in 2016 when you suffered the most crushing electoral defeat of the Fourth Republic. In 2015, when you finally crush landed the economy into the arms of the IMF, growth was only 2.2%, the lowest since 1984.
Your Excellency, you do not have to explain to us what was going on. You may lack accurate recollection of events – since you are among our compatriots who suffer from “very short memory”. Fortunately, some of do remember that nothing catastrophic had happened. We do remember that between 2011 and 2015, your
