Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the minority leader, strongly condemned the first 120 days of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, calling it a time of “disappointment and regret.”
On Tuesday, May 6, Afenyo-Markin appeared on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, where he charged the government of creating division, committing political victimization, and not carrying out its signature 24-hour economy strategy.
“For me, it’s 120 days of disappointment and regret. The NDC in 120 days has created a two Ghana, a Ghana for them and their party and a Ghana for the others they consider enemies,” he stated.
According to him, the government has established “two Ghanas”: one that encourages party supporters and another that excludes people who are thought to be opponents.
In addition, the minority leader criticized the government’s decision to sack those recruited by public institutions following the elections on December 7, claiming that the action was unfair and politically motivated.
“First of all, when they assumed office, they decided to terminate the employment of Ghanaians who had been employed in state institutions. The original letter from the Chief of Staff said that those employed into the public and civil service after the December 7 elections — if there were irregularities — should have their employment terminated. I found that to be even defective,” he said. “But what did we even see? There was a mass dismissal.”
Afenyo-Markin further alleged that independent state institutions and government-linked limited liability companies also dismissed staff under questionable circumstances. He highlighted the case of teachers and nurses who were posted but later removed from their positions.
“Worst of all, teachers and nurses who were employed and posted were also attacked. Haruna Iddrisu issued a statement about validating the teachers, but there is no evidence that those who were asked to go home have been reinstated,” he noted.
Afenyo-Markin then focused on the NDC’s well-known 24-hour economy plan, accusing the government of not fulfilling its pledge to generate jobs using a shift-based model.
“They made us believe they would implement a ‘one-three-three’ model — one job, three shifts — by creating an enabling environment for the private sector through incentives. What we see today is a complete lack of policy direction for the private sector,” he said.
He asserted that the government’s actions have worsened unemployment rather than reduced it, calling the NDC’s first four months in office a major failure and a betrayal of public confidence.