Akufo-Addo-Bawumia govt is autocratic, vindictive – Mahama

• Nov 22, 2023

The former president of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, has described the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led administration as vindictive and autocratic.

According to the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), teachers and government workers in the country are unable to complain about the poor state of their jobs for fear of being apprehended or sacked from their positions.

This, he explained, could never be heard of during his administration.

Speaking at a durbar of students in the Ahafo Region during his ‘Building Ghana Tour,’ he emphasised that democracy needed to be upheld in the country.

“In any democracy in any country, the right to free speech is very important. And free expression, when you suppress it, when things go wrong, you don’t know. At the time I was president, we allowed people to speak freely. And so, if things were not going well in schools, the headmasters, and the teachers could complain and could talk.

“Unfortunately, that changed when the Nana Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government came in. It was a very autocratic, vindictive government. And so, if you were a teacher or a headmaster and things were not going well in your school or in the educational system, if you talked about it, they would either sack you or they’ll transfer you,” he said.

He further stressed that the autocratic atmosphere has caused fear and panic amongst several Ghanaians who are unable to speak up about bad practices and happenings in the country.

“… And so, it instituted a culture of fear amongst public servants,” he added.

Former President John Dramani Mahama is seeking a second attempt at the presidency of Ghana after he was voted out in 2016.

One of the policies the former president hopes to introduce is a 24-hour economy that will allow people to be employed at every hour of the day.

ghanaweb.com