Founder and leader of the Movement for Change, Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, has said the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, cannot dissociate himself from the failures of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) administration.
Alan Kyerematen says the Vice President’s office is a component of the presidency, and cannot be treated in isolation like the office of a minister.
Considering what is perceived to be the area of the Vice President’s competence, Alan Kyerematen says much was put under his care which he was expected to deliver, and absolving himself of blame, is not the ideal thing to do.
His comments follow a pronouncement by the Vice President likening himself to a driver’s mate who only carries out instructions by the driver, in his case, the President, and should therefore not be blamed for the failures of the administration.
The Vice President who is the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) says, if he is voted into power as President, that is when the buck will stop at him, unlike it is currently.
During the commencement of his address to outline his vision for Ghana, should he becomes President, at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) Wednesday, February 07, 2024, Dr. Bawumia said “as Vice President, I am a driver’s mate, but if you vote for me, I’ll take the driver’s seat.”
Reacting to the matter on TV3 Monday, July 01, 2024, the former Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen, noted that it was inappropriate for the NPP flag bearer to make those comments.
“Unfortunately I don’t think that he can [dissociate himself] and my advice to my younger brother and former colleague is that, he ought not to be making those comments. We were all in government and to be fair to the current President, they gave the Vice President all the authority to direct the economic governance of our country, of course in collaboration with ministers. But the way I see the presidency, the presidency is one ticket and it’s President and Vice President.
“The Vice President is not like a minister and particularly when so much power is vested in the Vice President because of what is perceived to be his area of competence, then I don’t think it is appropriate for the Vice President, knowing exactly the control that he had and contribution he made for him now to say that he was not or he is not [in charge],” he stated.
The man leading the Alliance for Revolutionary Change indicated further that if the Vice President says he was/is not in charge of the area under his care, then it a serious matter.
“But if that were the case, then it’s a very serious matter that you’re the Vice President and you didn’t have either the power or the control of what you had been asked to undertake, then it doesn’t add up,” he asserted.
Bawumia should have ended his campaign the day he said he was a driver’s mate – Asiedu Nketia
