Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By William Yaw Owusu
Wednesday, May 06, 2015
The New Patriotic
Party (NPP) running-mate for the 2016 election Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia says a
future NPP government will not hesitate to restore Teacher Trainee and Nursing
Trainee allowances which have been withdrawn by the ruling NDC government.
"When we were HIPC we
could afford Teacher Trainee and Nursing Trainee Allowances. Today they ask us
how are we going to pay and we will tell them without mincing any words that we
will restore Teacher Trainee and Nursing Trainee Allowances.”
Dr. Bawumia was
speaking at a handing over ceremony of the Tertiary Students Confederacy
(TESCON), the student wing of the NPP at the University of Education Winneba, Ajumako
Campus in the Central Region last weekend.
Economic Management
He said “there is no
question about it. It will be done because we know how to do it and manage the
economy. We will provide competent economic management and less corruption. If
you stop being corrupt you can pay Teacher Trainee and Nursing Trainee
Allowances.”
He said under the leadership of Nana
Akufo-Addo who he described as “a man of absolute integrity” the NPP will
restore confidence in the economy saying “he will not tolerate corruption.”
“I want the youth to
be optimistic about the future of the country where Nana Akufo-Addo God willing
will lead,” he said.
“We have to keep
reminding ourselves about what is happening in Ghana today. Between 2001 and
2008 we created tax revenue of GH¢15 billion to manage this economy. Between
2009 and 2015, NDC has create tax revenue of GH¢62 billion which is four times
as much.”
He said “in fact,
from independence to 2008, the total debt stock was GH¢9.5 billion. Between 2008
to 2014 when they took over they have increased the debt stock from GH¢9.5
billion to GH¢76 billion. This is an amazing record. They increased the debt
stock by 700% in six years and that is an average of 116% every year. They are
doubling the debt every year and this is a reckless amount of debt accumulation.”
He said that under
NPP in 8 years cocoa export was $7 billion but in 6 years, the NDC exported $15
billion adding “borrowed exports in 8years under NPP was $9 billion…under the
NDC in 6 years it is $25 billion.”
Oil Economy
“Even though we
discovered oil in commercial quantities, there was no oil exports under the NPP
but between 2010 and 2014 under the NDC, Ghana has exported $13.7 billion of
oil.”
Dr. Bawumia said that
with tax revenues, the NDC “is the luckiest government of our time but with all
of these resources, the NHIS is collapsing, they say they now have GYEEDA it is
not functioning, the free maternal care policy is not functioning properly.”
“Teacher training and
Nurses training allowances have been withdrawn. The GetFund is in arrears, the
District Assemblies Common Fund is in arrears. Contractors are not being paid. And
they now want students to pay utility bills.”
IMF Bailout
He said after running
down the economy, the Mahama-led administration run to the IMF for a bail-out
saying “and at the end of all of these, the government has had to go to the IMF
for a bail-out.”
“An oil producing
economy after four years of exporting oil, we are at the doorstep of the IMF
for a bail-out. When we told them they were going to the IMF they said no…so
where are they today?”
“It is clear that major
economic mismanagement is part of why we are suffering in Ghana today. The
exchange rate to the cedi is almost four to the dollar. You inherited an
exchange rate which was almost one point one to the dollar and now it is almost
four to the dollar. This means an increase to the cost of living of our people.”
No Cushion
He said that: “they
have mismanaged the economy to the extent that they are taking away the cushion
that we built for the people of this country. Look at the IMF bail-out is about
$980 million and GYEEDA corruption alone is about GH¢952. SADA alone GH¢200
million, judgement debt is GH¢687 million, you have Subah GH¢144 million etc.”
He said an NPP
government “will build a new economy, a very dynamic one…we will build the
source of cushion whilst building a dynamic economy,” adding “we will move the
economy from high tax to a high production economy.”
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