Battle Over Questions: JDM Fires, Bawumia Responds

The flagbearers of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Mr John Dramani Mahama respectively, have taken their campaigns to the next level, as the general elections draw closer.

The two leaders have clashed on social media, setting Facebook and X agog with their new sets of campaign strategies, with former president John Dramani Mahama drawing first blood.

MAHAMA’S FIVE QUESTIONS

The flagbearer of the NDC stunned his main contender in the elections with five basic questions on the country’s economy and demanded answers from Dr Bawumia.

The questions appeared to draw Dr Bawumia’s attention to the state of the economy and demanded relevant answers as to how Dr Bawumia, as the head of the Economic Management Team, appeared unfazed whiles the cedi kept depreciating.

John Dramani Mahama’s five questions are;

1. Why has the cedi deteriorated in value from GHC4 to $1 in 2016 to almost GHC17 to $1 today?
2. Why has Ghana’s public debt risen from GHC120bn in 2016 to GHC 763bn in 2024 with you as EMT chair?
3. Why did inflation rise to its highest in the 4th Republic of 54% under your watch as EMT chair?
4. Why did you borrow more than GHC 42bn from the Bank of Ghana and caused the Central Bank to post its heaviest loss of GHC 60 bn?
5. Why have you run away from giving lectures on the economy. Why has the word ‘economy’ disappeared from your lexicon?

BAWUMIA FIRES BACK

However, Mr Mahama’s desire to get answers to his questions to advance his campaign, rather turned sour, as Dr Bawumia did not make any attempt to put a currency on his questions with answers.

Rather, the NPP flagbearer termed Mr Mahama’s questions as “flimsy questions”, adding that Mr Mahama had planned to hide behind his five punchy questions to avoid a public debate.

It would be recalled that Mr Mahama has refused to meet Dr Bawumia in a public debate saying, Dr Bawumia should rather engage the Ghanaian electorate he made promises to during 2016 elections.

Responding to Mr Mahama’s questions, Dr Bawumia said, “Come for a debate and I can ask the moderators to ask me these five flimsy questions”.

He quickly posted fifty questions to back to Mr Mahama and termed them as more substantive. Below are the fifty questions.

1. Can you name any broad-based social intervention policy that you implemented in Ghana as President?
2. Why did you run advertisements against free SHS?
3. If you think your economic management was so good how come we experienced more than four years of 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 under the government?
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 what it is under our government
13. Why was industry growth under your government lower than what 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 do you think our government has constructed four times more roads than your government did?
17. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more hospitals than your government did?
18. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more schools than your government did?
19. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more fish landing sites than your government did?
20. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more courts than your government did?
21. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more public libraries than your government did?
22. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more sports facilities than your government did?
23. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more airports than your government did?
24. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing and equipping more TVET institutions than your government did?
25. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more interchanges than your government did?
26. Why do you think our government has overseen the provision of more NCA licensed fibre optic cable than your government did?
27. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more sanitation facilities than your government did?
28. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more waste recycling plants than your government did?
29. Why do you think our government has provided 70% more scholarships to students than your government?
30. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more infrastructure in the Zongo communities than your government did?
31. Why do you think our government has provided more vehicles and equipment to the security services than your government did?
32. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more hospitals than your government did?
33. How come your government was unable to issue any significant amount of the National Identity Card (Ghanacard)?
34. Why was your government unable to deal with the problem of Ghost workers on government payroll?
35. During your period as president only 4% of Ghanaian adults had Tax Identification Numbers. Our government has increased it to 85%. Why were you unable to do similar?
36. Why was your government unable to digitalize the operations at the port to reduce corruption?
37. Why was your government unable to solve the problem of the lack of a functioning Ghana-wide property address system?
38. Why was your government not able to solve the problem of access to financial inclusion like we have?
39. What help did your government provide children suffering from cancer, sickle cell patients and people needing kidne dialysis?
40. Why did you fulfill only 28% of your promises in your 2012 Manifesto?
41. What measures did your government implement to address

the problem that people have in paying rent advance?

42. What did you do to help people who had difficulty in enrolling

for or renewing their National health insurance

memberships?

43. What did your government do specifically to promote the

creative arts and tourism?

44. How did your government address the problem of getting

emergency drug, blood and vaccine delivery to remote parts

of Ghana in times of emergency?

45. How did your government address the problem of tertiary

students who could not access student loans because they

could not find guarantors?

46. As Vice-President, I have initiated or championed policies such as – One Constituency One Ambulance, Agenda 111, Medical Drones, Zongo Development Fund, E-Pharmacy, Ghanacard, Digital Property Address System, Mobile Money Interoperability, Paperless Ports, No Guarantor Student Loans, Ghana.Gov, Citizens App, Go-Ride, Gold for Oil, Bank of Ghana Gold Purchase Program, District Road Improvement Program (DRIP) etc.? Can you tell Ghanaians what policies you championed or initiated as Vice-President?
47. Why were you unable to implement Free Technical and Vocational Education as we have done?
48. Why was your government unable to absorb examination registration fees for BECE and WACSSE students?
49. Can you provide one coherent explanation of your 24-hour economy proposal?
50. What specific measures did you implement to combat corruption during your tenure as president?

COMMENTS BY READERS

Meanwhile, some social media commentators have raised various valid concerns in the comments sections, under the respective posts by Mr John Mahama and Dr Bawumia.

While others have commended the former president for taking the fight to his main contender in view of his (Bawumia’s) role as the head of the Economic Management Team, others have expressed contrary views.

To others, Mr Mahama must be ready to face Dr Bawumia in a public debate so that the electorate could decide who has the best ideas to prosper the country.

Whiles some readers chided Dr Bawumia for running away from just five questions as posted by Mr Mahama, because the questions demanded direct answers but not multiple questions.