info@businessghana.com
The Minority in Parliament has dared the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, to come out clearly on his vision to turn around Ghana’s economy since he has espoused several visions that the government has not been able to implement.
The Minority said while in opposition and as the head of the government’s economic management team, Dr Bawumia espoused a number of “fanciful visions” on projects that have fleeced public funds and contributed to economic mismanagement.
It mentioned the One-District-One-Factory, One Constituency One Dam and $1 million per constituency, among others.
“We are wondering what vision Dr Bawumia has other than what he and his boss, Nana Addo, have contracted the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the good people of Ghana,” the Minority quizzed.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament, the Ranking Member of the Finance Committee of Parliament, Isaac Adongo, said, “What is Dr Bawumia going to do that he could not do in this government.
“It is annoying to hear those who drove a car in perfect condition into a ditch now talking about ‘vision’.
If they had vision, Ghana would not have sunk this low in the first place,” he said.
The Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central said prior to 2017, President Akufo-Addo, told Ghanaians that he was relying on the intellectual capacity of Dr Bawumia to transform Ghana.
On the contrary, he said as the head of the economic management team, he led the government to create Ghana’s current economic mess.
He drew comparison of the New Patriotic Party manifesto for the 2016 elections and what he described as Dr Bawumia's “propaganda but naive experimental lecture notes from 2014 to 2015.”
He cited how the Vice-President gave an assurance to move the Ghanaian economy from taxation to production.
“This is one of the fanciful visions of Dr Bawumia that led to the collapse of production after they somersaulted and introduced over 24 taxes,” he said.
He made reference to Dr Bawumia’s vision to see to executing One-Village-One-Dam while in opposition.
“It was subsequently implemented in government and Dr Bawumia should speak to this and tell us what this vision has brought to the economy of Ghana.
“We can only remember these dugouts as one of wasteful ventures that had become death-traps, killing people in rural areas,” he said.
Mr Adongo indicated that Dr Bawumia's “naïve” $1 million per constituency a year had rather led to massive arrears and commitments.
“Has Dr Bawumia's establishment of development authorities not become a conduit for siphoning and the looting of public funds?
He should speak to it and tell us what the achievements are?” he quizzed.
In his view, the One-District-One-Factory initiative became a source of fleecing the public purse through the granting of ridiculous tax waivers and painting and co-opting of factories that could be "colonial era" factories as 1D1F factories.
