The PPP and the Npp have rebutted President John
Mills’ praise of his government's success and economic achievements in his three years of office.
The President is entrusting all his hopes of a second term in office largely
based on what he said are his administration's unprecedented achievements in
the history of Ghana.
Quoting a stable macro-economy, sound education and a buoyant energy
sector, the President said Ghanaians are witnesses to the achievements
of his government but was quick to add that there is still more to be
done. The administration, he said will not be complacent.
He was been interviewed by some journalists in the US after completing a week-long
official tour of the US at the invitation of US President Barack Obama.
But opposition party leaders and some economists have mocked Mills' assertion on the economy and his performance and have categorically said that his chance of winning the election this year is bleak.
, Papa Kwesi Nduom
in an interview told Joy News’ Beatrice Adu that President Mills’ administration cannot
claim to have achieved unprecedented success in the history of the
country.
He said Mills’ achievement is second best to those in the 4th Republic
much less the achievement of Ghana’s First President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
According to him, the situation on the ground at his hometown in Elmina
and Cape Coast does not show any significant improvement.
He also stated the people of Elmina are still living in squalor with most of the children who sat for the just ended BECE failing.
That cannot be a sign of success, he said, challenging the reporter to
find out from the president the specific instances where the lives of
the people have been transformed.
Policy Analyst of the New Patriotic Party, Kwaku Kwarteng said the
president must for once look beyond the fine macro-economic figures.
He told Joy News’ Evans Mensah that the figures must have a direct
relation with growth in other sectors of the economy to be meaningful to
Ghanaians.
Quoting from the 2012 Budget figures, Mr. Kwarteng said agriculture
grew by 2.8 per cent instead of a projected 6 per cent; the
manufacturing sector grew by one per cent instead of a projected 7 per
cent; Forestry suffered a negative growth of -14 per cent instead of a
projected 4.8 per cent.
He said if the good figures do not create jobs for the people then they are worthless.
An economist Theophilus Richardson described as untrue the assertion
that the current inflationary rate of 8.6 per cent is unprecedented in
the country’s history, saying, the NLC government attained an
inflationary rate of 3.4.
He said politicians must be objective and stop “using figures for propaganda.”
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