Over the last four years, President John Mahama has worked hard to improve the nation’s infrastructure. Roads and bridges have been constructed; school and hospitals have been built.
Social intervention programmes such the provision of sandals and uniforms to school children have also been introduced.
Despite his good efforts, however, there are some certain policies and actions of the president that many Ghanaians received with shock. Some of them have lowered his standing public standing and will continue to elicit questions long after he leaves office.
1. Resettling Gitmo 2 in Ghana
President Mahama's unilateral decision to resettle two Guantanamo Bay ex-detainees with alleged ties to Al Qaeda in Ghana shocked many Ghanaians who feared that the move would attract terrorists into the country.
The fear among Ghanaians was further heightened when it was revealed that the US Congress passed a law that prohibited Guantanamo ex-detainees from being resettled in the US because they were deemed to pose a danger to the US citizenry. Many Ghanaians concluded that the president had put the interest of others ahead of that of Ghanaians.
2. Receiving Ford Expedition gift from foreign contractor
Many Ghanaians were shocked when a Joy FM investigative report revealed that President Mahama had received a Ford Expedition vehicle from a Burkina Faso businessmen, who later won two government contracts. The news came at a time that the president had made corruption a top campaign issue, arguing that no other government had fought corruption more than his administration. The Ford vehicle was seen as a bribe by a section of the public, calling the president's integrity into question. There is no doubt that it will be a scar on the president's legacy.
3. Release of Montie 3
President Mahama's freeing of the Montie 3 just a month into their four-month Supreme Court jail sentence is a decision that stunned many Ghanaians. Given the gravity of their offence, only a few people expected the president to set a bad precedent by granting pardon to the Montie 3. It will represent another blot on his legacy.
4. "Vote buying"
This week President John Mahama was caught on camera sharing money to some traders in Accra. Although he has explained that he merely assisted a trader who lost her wares while struggling to catch a glimpse of him, the explanation is weak at best.Â
Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, the editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide, notes, the president must leave things like that to his aides.
“There is a campaign team out there, when the president is out there, there is a campaign team with him, when such things happen, I believe communication is that effective among themselves for some party campaign elements to take care of that situation rather than the president himself going out to do those things in order to show compassion," he said.
This also does not augur well for President Mahama's legacy.