Former Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has sharply criticised President John Mahama’s government over what he describes as a targeted dismissal of innocent employees.
Speaking in a strongly worded statement, Dr. Bawumia lamented that the current administration has dismissed individuals who were employed during the previous government.
He argued that such actions blatantly contradict Mahama’s earlier campaign promise to create jobs for all Ghanaians.
“It is ironic that a party which campaigned on the wings of jobs for all Ghanaians is arbitrarily dismissing the same Ghanaians, rendering them jobless, just because a different government employed them to put their talents to bear on the nation’s development,” he declared.
Accusations of political persecution
Dr. Bawumia’s criticisms extend beyond job cuts. He contends that the dismissals, executed through a directive from Chief of Staff Julius Deborah, have not only targeted political appointees but have also affected public servants such as directors, security personnel, nurses, and teachers.
According to the former Vice-President, many of these employees were removed solely because of perceived associations or familial ties with politicians, regardless of their professional qualifications. “There are reports of the government’s intention to terminate appointments of persons performing critical jobs simply because they were hired during the previous administration.
“That will be most unfortunate,” he warned, accusing the new government of engaging in political persecution and undermining the integrity of Ghana’s public service.
The mass dismissals have been variously condemned, with some workers union threatening a strike action if their members, whom they said were legitimately employed, are not reinstated.
A widening climate of insecurity
Dr. Bawumia’s concerns are not limited to employment practices. He has raised alarm over a broader climate of insecurity in the country, citing recent attacks on journalists, military raids on former government officials’ homes, and instances where mobs have targeted state institutions.
“This is rather reminiscent of a military takeover and not a peaceful democratic transition,” he asserted, urging the government to protect Ghana’s democratic institutions.
He stressed that allowing such practices to continue would not only erode public trust but also compromise the nation’s constitutional values.
A call to uphold democratic principles
Having conceded defeat to President Mahama in the 2024 election, Dr. Bawumia had initially refrained from commenting on governance issues to allow the new administration to settle. However, the alarming nature of these dismissals and the accompanying rise in insecurity compelled him to speak out.
“To look away whilst these ills persist is to abandon my responsibility to remind President Mahama and his government of their overriding duty to live by the democratic tenets envisioned in the 1992 Constitution and to do justice and ‘right to all manner of persons’,” he emphasized.
Dr. Bawumia called on the President to reverse what he termed “unfair dismissals” and to ensure that every citizen is protected under the law.
“We must advance our democracy. We must protect our state institutions. We must uphold our Constitution. Ghana can do better.
Ghana must do better!” he declared, urging a collective reassertion of democratic values amid growing political and social tensions.
