-Mahama Bashes Compromise Clergy Seeking To Bribe Him
Former President John Mahama has described the violent fight that erupted in the Ghanaian Parliament over the obnoxious Electronic levy (e-levy) as a fight by the Minority to protect Ghana’s democracy.
John Mahama confronted a group of clergymen who had visited him to persuade him to influence his opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to soften its opposition and accept the e-levy that over 90% of Ghanaians are strongly opposed to.
Critics are certain that the clergy group composed of the Catholic Bishops Conference and some charismatic clergy may have been bribed by the Akufo Addo administration to persuade the NDC to back down on its strong stance against the e-levy.
This is because, the Akufo Addo is extremely desperate to have the e-levy passed after the government had “chewed the finances of the country to the bone” and is practically too broke to undertake any developmental project unless it collects the estimated GHC 6 billion e-levy annually and collateralise it for some estimated GHC 70 billion, to be able to finance projects like its flagship Free Senior High School (SHS).
The Minority, during the Christmas recess, had engaged in a violent fight with their opponents from the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) who were trying to sneak the unpopular e-levy through the legislature.
Critics have condemned the violence that ensued in Parliament when the NDC stood its ground against the move. But, e-President Mahama expressed full support for the uncompromising stance of the NDC, saying the fight was a “fight for democracy”.
Mr. Mahama told the church leaders, who claimed to be a “peace mission” to find a resolution to “what is happening to us in our country”, that Ghanaians have made it clear that they do not want the e-Levy, and that the clergy should have been reasonable enough at the time to voice their opposition to the machinations to force the e-levy on Ghanaians.
“It was felt that our MPs should sit timidly and let them pass this unconstitutionality. It won’t happen”, he stressed.
“There is a lot that is happening in this country that if we don’t intervene, it would upset our democracy. The Fourth Republic has been the most enduring and we must protect it” he added.
Led by the Most Reverend Paul K. Boafo, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, the delegation included representatives from the Christian Council of Ghana, the Ghana Pentecostal, and Charismatic Council, and the Catholic Bishops Conference.
However, their attempts to “soften” the NDC’s stance against the e-levy were quickly shot down by both ex-President Mahama and the National Chairman of the NDC, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo.