Throughout NPP flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s encounter with the press on August 25, 2024, one journalist who notably won the hearts of Ghanaians with her questioning was Berla Mundi.
The popular journalist captured the essence of the agitating Ghanaian youth with her direct and probing questions, which were reported to have caused the Vice President to fumble with his responses.
When it was her turn to question Dr. Bawumia, Berla asked two significant questions: one concerning the current living conditions of Ghanaians and another about the eight individuals who lost their lives in the 2020 elections.
She asked if Bawumia agreed with the assertion that he should apologise for the country’s poor living conditions.
“Would you agree when Ghanaians say you should apologise for where we are at the moment? especially looking at the promises you have made and the performances not matching those promises,” she quizzed with a stern look.
She also told Dr. Bawumia that if he or President Akufo-Addo had addressed the deaths of the eight individuals who died during the 2020 elections, they might have had a better chance with many Ghanaians.
“It was fact-checked and confirmed that some eight people died during the 2020 general elections. So far, I’m not sure either you or the president has said anything about it. I have spoken to a lot of analysts about it and they are saying that maybe if you had addressed this very early on in your campaign, maybe, you might have a greater chance than you have now,” she emphasised.
In response to Berla’s questions about apologising for poor governance and economic mismanagement, Bawumia took the opportunity to highlight his achievements.
“It’s very interesting when you look at the work we have done…for the first time since independence we have a national ID system. We championed national ID at birth. For the first time, with a Ghana Card and without a guarantor, you can get a student loan. For the first time, we have a comprehensive digital system. We have drones delivering medical supplies and saving lives,” he retorted.
Regarding the issue of the eight individuals who lost their lives in the 2020 elections, he said, “I’m not quite sure whether the president has commented or not but anytime we lose a life in any circumstance, it doesn’t have to be an election, it’s usually a very sad event. It’s a sad occurrence for people to have died in elections as a result of conflict. It is something that law enforcement is dealing with, but I’m not sure of the details,” he stated.
Meanwhile, netizens have praised Berla for asking the tough questions that many journalists have avoided.
However, they criticised Dr. Bawumia for not providing satisfactory answers and for appearing to fumble in his responses.
