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The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Asiedu Nketia has said President Mahama’s “dead-goat-syndrome” comment was misunderstood.

President earlier indicated that his government will not be lured into over spending in 2016 by the weight of demands and strikes of workers.

He said the unending strikes have toughened his government.

President Mahama indicated that, he had the opportunity to experience a series of demonstrations and strikes within his two years into office saying “I don’t think it can get worse in the second two years. It is said that when you kill a goat and you frighten it with knife it doesn’t fear the knife because it is dead already. I have the dead goat syndrome going forward. So we are going to ensure that we have fiscal discipline.”

Many Ghanaians have mocked and criticised Mahama for his comments.

However speaking on TV3 on Wednesday, Nketia said such criticism were unfounded since he was misinterpreted.

What Mahama actually meant 

Asiedu Nketia clarified that the President only wanted to say that “ he will not allow strikes to scare him into taking decisions whose effect will be disastrous for us[Ghanaians] even after the elections.”

Asiedu Nketia believes the President should be commended for being sincere about government’s stance on the unending strikes.

According to him, the NDC is not only interested in “winning the 2016 elections” but also wants to take decisions that will “uplift the country”

“If we have to take decisions end effects will achieve that purpose, whether they are painful or not, we will not be diverted into taking decisions that have populace appeal if we know that the effect will be disastrous.…”