John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has addressed the ongoing debate over whether obtaining a Dutch passport is better than earning a PhD in Ghana, attributing this sentiment to the economic hardships inflicted by the current government.
Speaking at a public lecture organized by the Christian Service University in Kumasi, themed “Sustainability of Democracy in Africa: The Ghanaian Experience,” Mahama emphasized that such a debate is indicative of the despair and hopelessness felt by many Ghanaians due to the economic mismanagement and corruption prevalent under the current administration.
“There’s widespread despair and anguish amongst our people leading to an active debate on social media about whether securing a foreign passport to do a menial job in Europe is better than holding a PhD in Ghana,” Mahama remarked. “It’s the adversity into which our nation has been plunged, otherwise, there’s no basis for comparison between a Visa and a PhD.”
He asserted that the Presidency should not be entrusted to those responsible for the current economic crisis, stressing that sustainable democracy in Ghana and Africa depends on leaders who are truthful and accountable to the citizens.
“Those whose glaring failures at economic management have sucked us into this vortex of despair despite their lofty talk in opposition and who now seek to flee the responsibility cannot be rewarded with the presidency in this deep crisis,” Mahama argued. “The presidency cannot be handed over to those who present as the future when they are at the epicenter of our disastrous present.”
“Leadership that is honest and accepts responsibility for challenges rather than passing the buck is the kind of leadership that sustains democracy,” he concluded.
The lecture was part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Christian Service University.
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