The NPP manifesto appears not to contain so much feasible “it is possible” content. The promises, which they want us to see as policies, only reminded me of the Dunning–Kruger effect in psychology. McArthur Wheeler, in April 19, 1995 used lemon juice to cover his face in a robbery attack, believing that, once lemon juice works as invisible ink on paper, it would do same as he undertakes his criminal act in a broad daylight and under CCTV cameras.
The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which politicians with base knowledge about governance and practical economics, may overestimate their abilities. In the class room, one can always hold other variables constant. It is only ignorance that will make one to hold same assumption outside the class room.
The promises to cut taxes and remove some taxes without corresponding alternative means of financing is both incredible and incredulous. Our partisan politicians have forgotten that NABCO beneficiaries are owed, nursing trainees are owed, teacher trainees are owed, individual bondholders are owed, institutional bondholders are owed, bilateral creditors are owed, DACF is owed and capped, NHIS is owed and capped, GETFund is owed and capped, our economic buffers are collateralised, etc. Some of these owings are due to the deliberate or ignorant mismanagement leading to various forms of haircuts: mohawk, topio joe, backbush, flat top and sakora.
Meanwhile, our bad, corrupt, incompetent, selfish and poor leaders in our national development and governance architecture, those who raped our nation’s natural virgin lands, those who mutilated our collective heritage and resources still appear unaware of just how deficient their expertise are.
Their ignorance leaves them with a double burden—not only does their limited and misguided partisan knowledge lead them to make mistakes but those exact same cognitive biases also prevent them from recognising when they are making mistakes and when the intelligentsia are speaking wisely, when intellectuals are professing suggestions and when professionals are proffering solutions.
There is no problem in Ghana that is not soluble and that is not solvable. Where we are now, we need governance reforms much more than economic reforms, economic models and digitalisation. It is because issues of governance are not given precedence and prominence, that is why the dollar floored the Chairman of the Economic Management Team despite his deep knowledge in matters of economics. That is why inflation is on top of mountain kilimanjaro and waiving the good vice president who stands ‘confused’. That is why taxes are asking him if he remembers Adam Smith’s four cardinal principles of a good tax system.
For instance, the good Vice President promises to amend the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2018 (Act 982). But one must be informed that if the leader is ignorant on matters of governance or if the person to whom the act applies is not reasonable enough or compos mentis, the amendment will be as useless as a knife is to a dead goat. The good and humble VEEP should have been more particular about Article 88(4) of the 1992 Constitution which is expandable enough to allow private persons to join in the investigation and prosecution of public officers who may cause financial losses to the state.
Another matter of concern is the promise to plunge every citizen into a state of debt burden by way of incentives and a credit system whereby teachers, nurses, and everyone can respectively acquire a vehicle and other goods on credit. In Monetary Economics, we have only two classes of citizens: the patient citizen who saves and invests for enjoyment into the future, and the inpatient citizen who borrows and over borrows for self-aggrandizement, only to suffer in future (the painful haircuts is a typical example). Governance reforms would have sought to raise patient citizens so as to mobilise liquidity for national development. It therefore, confusing to me to hear promises that are not in sync with the real and true state of our country.
Awineyesema Abiire
aawineyesema@yahoo.com
Assemblyman for Zorko Gamboringo and lecturer, BTU
