On March 11, 2015, then President John Dramani Mahama described himself as having a “dead goat syndrome”, a statement he made in reaction to the numerous demonstrations taking place in the country at the time.
At the time, John Mahama stated that he will not yield to threats of strikes and demonstrations, especially as the nation was heading to elections the next year.
“I have seen more demonstrations and strikes in my first two years. I don’t think it can get worse. It is said that when you kill a goat and you frighten it with a knife, it doesn’t fear the knife because it is dead already.
“I have a dead goat syndrome,” he told a Ghanaian population in Botswana where he is on a three-day official state visit.
The strike actions and demonstrations at the time were predominantly staged by workers demanding for better conditions of service.
Surprisingly, just like the National Democratic (NDC) faced these strike actions a year to the 2016 elections, closing the eight (8) years in power, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is facing a similar thing a few months into the 2024 December 7 elections.
The nation has seen a number of demonstrations this time around centered on the demand for a ban on illegal mining activities and drawing attention to the devastating effects of mining on Ghana’s environment.
President Akufo-Addo has however failed to publicly address the public on these issues. He also in the past told Ghanaians the nation’s next president will resolve all their issues when asked about what he was doing to alleviate the economic hardships Ghanaians faced. Such comments and his posture, has lead many to question if Akufo-Addo has also been infected with the “dead goat syndrome”.
Is this an indication of a repetition of what happened in 2016? Is it a sign that the NPP will also be elected out of the seat of government at the December 7, 2024 polls? We can only wait.
