STOP THE LIES - PRESIDENT KUFOUR DID NOT ANNOUNCE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SINGLE SPINE DURING HIS LAST DAYS IN OFFICE

STOP THE LIES - PRESIDENT KUFOUR DID NOT ANNOUNCE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SINGLE SPINE DURING HIS LAST DAYS IN OFFICE

Iddi Muhayu-Deen writes...

As we all know, President John Mahama, with LESS THAN 11 DAYS to leave office, having suffered the worst electoral defeat in our history, has been taking some major decisions which have FAR-REACHING IMPLICATIONS on the next government. This move, as pundits have observed, is deliberately orchestrated to tie the hands of the incoming NPP administration and make it virtually impossible for them to govern effectively.

In view of this, the Outgoing President [John Mahama] has come under a barrage of public resentment, general repudiation and fierce criticism by well-meaning Ghanaians for ‘his anti-Ghana decisions’ at this penultimate moment.

Characteristically, his party, the NDC, which is the ONLY PARTY in the World that is capable of converting water into wine, goat into sheep, stealing into corruption, ELECTORAL DEFEAT into COMFORTABLE LEAD has jumped to the rescue of their former flagbearer from this growing infamy.

They however 'goofed big time' in their usual INEPT RATIONALIZATION with the citing of so called similar action taken by President Kufour regarding the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) when he was leaving office. I wish to place on record that this claim is most mendacious and ought to be treated with contempt.

And these are the facts. Following the manifest challenges and ineffectiveness of various salary schemes for public sector workers in the country, the Kufour government took a bold decision to tackle this agelong issue head-on with the view to achieving SANITY in public sector salary administration. 

They therefore mooted the idea of the SINGLE SPINE SALARY STRUCTURE and ensured that they instituted all the relevant structures on the ground including the passing of the relevant legislations and the formation of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) so that this new salary scheme DOES NOT FAIL like the others.

It took them (the NPP) more than two years to finish all these laborious but necessary processes which ended sometime in October 2016. The effective date for the implementation as agreed by all the stakeholders including the Ministry of Finance, FWSC, Union Leaders, Organised Labour etc was January 1, 2009 and this was widely publicised 3 clear months before the December 7, 2008 elections, which saw the defeat of the NPP government.

The 16 to 30% salary increment announced by President Kufour in January 2009 prior to leaving office has absolutely NOTHING to do with the Single Spine Salary Structure. It was a government decision, which many felt was taken in bad faith and condemned same.

Indeed, the incoming NDC government at the time, also questioned the propriety of this decision and REFUSED to implement it. Even the Single Spine which was agreed by all stakeholders 4 months earlier was also ABANDONED by the Mills-led NDC government until after their first year in office.

My fellow countrymen and women, that is the factual rendition of the relevant information under the circumstances and fortunately, the celebrated Ghanaian journalist of all-time, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr confirmed same last Wednesday (21st Dec) and Thursday (22nd Dec) on Peace fm (kokrokoo) and Metro Tv (GMG show) respectively.

Help me tell President Mahama, the Outgoing President and the NDC that they can do all the propaganda in this World, but they should remember that NOT every Ghanaian has short memory.

Assalamu alaikum.