Some of us are very surprised that the government of Nana Addo ended up in the hands of the IMF, knowing what some of his ministers and party members said in 2016 about going to the IMF. Here we go:
Dr. Bawumiah. He laid down some of the conditions that necessitate a country to go to the IMF. He said if the country is spending too much relative to income, if the government is borrowing too much and if the external payment position of the country starts deteriorating.
Gabby Otchere Darko. He said NDC went to the IMF because we failed to manage our finances well; NDC borrowed recklessly and NDC lacked the discipline in solving our own issues. He then went on to say the IMF does not solve issues, the IMF is not interested in economic growth and IMF policies are not meant to help countries create jobs.
Ken Ofori-Atta. He said Ghana will not go to the IMF because the consequences of going there are dire. He said we are a proud nation, whose people are not short sighted, and we can solve our own problems.
John Kumah – Deputy Finance Minister. He said Ghana is not going to the IMF today, tomorrow and as long as the NPP government remains in power.
Abronye DC. He said when you go to the IMF, it means you are so stupid, so you go there to tell them that you don’t have the brains to manage your economy. They should therefore, come and manage your economy for you.
Kennedy Agyapong. Ken said those in this government who took us to IMF are not even fit to lead the party again. He added that going to IMF meant that the NPP is going to hand over power to the NDC without a contest.
So, knowing what all these people know, what got them to send us to the IMF? They are telling us the $3 billion from IMF is going to create jobs and for economic growth. Meanwhile, they have told us IMF policies don’t do that. So, who are they deceiving? Themselves or Ghanaians?
The road to IMF has been bitter because when Nana Addo was recklessly renting private jets for his foreign trips and Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwah was speaking against it, didn’t the NPP tell him to use trotro when he is traveling from Accra to his constituency?
When Nana Akufo Addo appointed 125 ministers and wise people were criticizing him, didn’t he say he was in a hurry to fix Ghana problems and that the output of the Ministers will justify why he needed them? So the justification is to send us to the IMF?
When wise people were criticizing this government of excessive borrowing, didn’t Dr. Bawumiah tell us their borrowing is a smart one? He realized their borrowing was more than reckless when the international community shut Ghana down from further borrowing.
I don’t know what you have seen about this government, but they have done 50 times worse than anything they accused John Mahama of doing. If such caricatures come to you again for your vote, go back and listen to what they said they will NOT do when given the power in 2016.
Mahama reba
Dr. Lawrence Appiah is the Founder of the Diaspora Progressive Movement in USA.
