Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has thrown down the gauntlet, challenging former President John Mahama to a one-on-one debate ahead of the December 7 presidential elections.
Dr. Bawumia expressed disappointment that Mahama had posed questions to him instead of facing him directly.
“I would have thought he would be man enough to face me in a one-on-one debate for the Ghanaian public to assess our respective policies, achievements, and visions,” he said.
Dr. Bawumia then posed 50 questions to Mahama, tackling various aspects of his presidency, including economic management, job creation, infrastructure development, and policy initiatives.
He asked Mahama to explain his record on key issues, such as implementing broad-based social intervention policies, running advertisements against free SHS, and failing to create jobs.
The NPP flagbearer also queried Mahama’s handling of the economy, including the prolonged period of “dumsor” (power outages) and the near-collapse of the banking system.
Dr. Bawumia also highlighted his own initiatives as Vice-President, such as the One Constituency One Ambulance, Agenda 111, Medical Drones, and Zongo Development Fund.
Mahama’s 24-hour economy proposal was also questioned, with Dr. Bawumia asking for a coherent explanation of the policy.
Below is Dr. Bawumia’s 50 questions to Mahama
QUESTIONS FOR JOHN MAHAMA
I have just read questions posed to me by former President Mahama. I would have thought he would be man enough to face me in a one-on-one debate for the Ghanaian public to assess our respective policies, achievements and visions. He should not hide behind these flimsy questions to avoid a debate. Come for a debate and I can ask the moderators to ask me these five flimsy questions. But I have many more substantive questions for him:
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 kidney
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?
