Former Deputy Finance Minister, Kweku Kwarteng
The Chairman of the Parliament’s Select Committee on Finance and Former Deputy Finance Minister, Kweku Kwarteng has challenged the National Democratic Congress’s 2020 Flagbearer, John Mahama to table his alternative economic proposals before Ghanaians rather than resort to politicking.
The Former President has criticized the Akufo-Addo led NPP government over what he describes as ”wanton dissipation of state resources and mismanagement of the economy”.
John Dramani Mahama while speaking at an NDC professional’s forum asked the government to stop blaming its woes on the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our debt has ballooned to unsustainable levels- topping 80% of GDP- exposing us to a very high risk of debt default. Almost all of our tax revenue is used to service our debt and the effect has been the introduction of several new taxes”. The Former President stated.
But Kwaku Kwarteng said the incessant attacks on government by the Former President regarding the handling of the economy is worrying because many of the things he cited lacked merit.
“Somebody who has had long service in public service; he has been a Vice President, has been a President, if people are unhappy with their lives they are not going to leave him off. It is to this extent that I find his statement worrying because the statement he made feeds into this traditional belief that political figures will say anything to get into political power or those of us in power will say anything to remain in power. I think that must stop”.
According to him, the former President could have presented his alternative programmes for discussion.
“Wouldn’t it have been refreshing to see the former president isolate the specific actions and inactions of the current government he had issues with and then put his alternative on the table in a less acrimonious and in a more conciliatory way? Is it not possible to do that?”. He told host of the Sunrise Morning Show, Alfred Ocansey on the 3FM’s 92.7.
Referring to the Former President’s reign in office, the former Deputy Finance Minister pointed out that many of the things he promised when he was vice president could not be achieved despite his long stay in office.
“President Mahama himself became the President in late 2012 when President Mills passed away then he proceeded to become the president. Two months after taking over he said things were so down to the bone. Having been vice president for three years and president, this was his verdict”.
According to Kwaku Kwarteng, nothing came of the Senchi Accord after all the people the then government assembled at Senchi to fashion out a set of homegrown solutions to the country’s predicament however, by the beginning of 2015 the government took Ghana to the International Monetary Fund, IMF.
“So when today I hear him and he cannot even discuss the strategies in his view that did not work; we cannot discuss what this government is doing that needs to be improved and put clear alternatives on the table I feel very sad. Today we are out of the IMF and the microeconomic fundamentals have improved.”