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Do not be complacent, minority warns
government
Accra, Nov. 15, Ghanadot/GNA – Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom,
Convention People's Party (CPP) Presidential aspirant on
Thursday summed the sentiments of the Minority on the 2008
budget when he warned government not to be complacent with
the strides chalked in the economic front over the last
couple of years.
Other members of the Minority in Parliament such as Mr. Ken
Dzirasah, former Deputy Speaker and NDC-South Tongue, Mr.
Moses Asaga, NDC Nabdam and Dr Benjamin Kumbour, NDC- Lawra/Nandom
said the budget did not have focus and failed to bring
desired relief to the people.
He told the Ghana News Agency that while issues such as the
GDP and inflation targets are on track, "there are some
three areas that they should not relax about, but double
their efforts to ensure that success crown their efforts and
the sacrifices of Ghanaians.
Giving his impressions on the 2008 budget to Parliament, Dr.
Nduom said, the three areas, "notably the public sector
labour plans, pay reform and the manufacturing sector must
be examined critically and programmes initiated since last
year should not be left on the shelves."
He explained that the labour front issues as well as the pay
reform strategies that started last year, must be handled
with tact in order not to degenerate into chaos that will
see workers spilling onto the streets agitating out of tune
to government plans.
Dr. Nduom said last year, " pay reform featured prominently
in the budget and measures put in place to anticipate
changes and trends. However, there is nothing like this in
this year's budget.
"He said the budget should also focus on further enhancing
the energy generation capacity of the nation, mentioning the
expansion of the Aboadze Thermal Plant specifically,
"otherwise we would end up falling back into the troubles we
experienced with power outages and economic loss as we did
over the past year."
Dr Nduom said Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu himself recognised the
pain in the manufacturing sector when he outlined the effect
of the importation of cheap goods onto the Ghanaian market.
"Strangely, he noted, "no specific mention was made on what
steps would be taken to reverse the trend. The manufacturing
sector is a major component of the Ghanaian economy and if
we do not act fast we might collapse our local manufacturing
capacity."
Mr Dzirasah said the seriousness of the 2008 budget was lost
in the fanfare associated with the 2008 financial statement.
Mr. Frank Agyekum, Deputy Minister of Information and
National Orientation disagreed with the earlier comments,
saying that he was happy that the budget emphasised on
energy and steps that would be taken in addition to earlier
steps to consolidate current energy status of the country.
On the oil find he said: "at last we are giving the oil find
the seriousness it deserves and I hope that we would work to
make it profitable to all Ghanaians."
Mrs Eugenia Kusi, Chairman of the Women's Caucus in
Parliament and NPP-Tarkwa Nsuayem described the budget as
positive as it showed that as a ruling party, strides made
over the last 7 years have been consolidated and the youth
can look forward with some hope.
She expressed satisfaction that the breast cancer crusade by
the Women's Caucus has been adopted and women in various
parts of the country would benefit from free screening of
breast to reduce the rate of breast cancer among women.
Mr Kojo Armah, CPP-Evalue-Gwira also said the budget was
good and approved it, saying the initiative to resuscitate
the school feeding programme was laudable.
Many people thought that the school-feeding programme was
dead, but we hear that there is something coming up to save
it.
He also called for proper management of the oil find and
noted that; "Ghanaians should have a greater involvement in
the processes associated with it."
Mr Moses Asaga, NDC Nabdam and former Deputy Minister of
Finance and Economic Planning described the budget as a
difficult budget as depicted in leaflets distributed by the
National Democratic Congress members.
He argued that even though the Finance Minister described
the budget as a budget for the future, "I thought it should
be giving hope to Ghanaians. But with electricity, fuel and
water prices going up almost every week, and Ghanaians
having problems to have a descent meal in a day, it can only
be seen as a tough budget.
"It is insulting when at a time where Ghanaians cannot
afford landlines for communication, government is about to
place an extra tax on the cost of air time on mobile
phones."
Mr. P.C Appiah-Ofori, NPP Member for Odoben/Asikuma/Brakwa,
also known for his anticorruption stance, did not mince
words and said not until corruption was checked and public
funds managed properly, all the beautiful proposals in the
2008 budget would remain a dream.
According to him, every year the budget was read but lack of
funds hampered the implementation process because of the
many leakages in public finance and corruption.
He called for a plugging of the holes in the management of
public funds and hold public office holders accountable to
reduce the drain on public funds to realise the targets set
in the budget.
Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister of Women and Children's
Affairs, was particularly happy with the gender dimensions
of the budget and said plans to screen women and men for
breast and prostrate cancer respectively was in the right
direction.
She said the issue of equity was also high on the 2008
agenda because the programme to ensure that selected
communities in each district received equal share of water,
electricity and road development resources, showed
government's commitment to equity in development.
Minority Leader, Alban Bagbin, on his part, said the seed
capital of 25 million Ghana cedis for the development of the
three northern regions was nothing to write home about.
He said plans to extend equal share of water, road and
electricity resources across all the 166 districts in the
coming year was going to further widen the gap between the
rural and urban areas.
The Minority Leader said deprived communities in rural areas
should have received more development projects.
Mr Bagbin expressed disappointment that the last budget
statement of the government did not initiate a process for
constitutional review because there was the need to overhaul
the legal framework of the nation to promote good governance
and further entrench democracy
Dr Benjamin Bewa-Nyong Kumbour, Minority Spokesman on
Finance, described the budget as nothing new but a
repetition of unachieved programmes in the last three
budgets.
He wondered how new institutions set up would be able to
achieve the set targets within one year when those that
already existed were not equipped enough to carry out that
functions effectively.
He said the targets were fantasies.
Dr Kumbour, who is also NDC MP for Lawra Nandom, hailed the
establishment of the Northern Development Fund, but however
said the seed money was rather not sufficient.
Mr Freddie Wormaseo Armah Blay, First Deputy Speaker of
Parliament, described the budget as comprehensive, and it
would build on the stability so far achieved in the economy.
He said the 2008 budget was different from previous ones,
and indicated Government's preparedness to invest in the
social sector as it encouraged insurance companies to invest
in the social.
Mr Blay endorsed the budget, which the Majority NPP said was
a budget for a bright future and lauded the proposed
improvement in the mode of paying cocoa farmers in rural
areas.
Mr Felix Kwasi Owusu-Adjapong, one of the NPP Presidential
Aspirants, said the budget would consolidate the gains
achieved by the Government, to be built by any successive
government.
Ms Josephine Hilda Addo, NPP-Kwadaso, lauded Government for
the maintenance of the school feeding programme and the
Capitation Grant in the budget.
She said it would be of assistance to women in low-income
groups to send their children to school.
However, Mrs Elizabeth Amoah-Tetteh, (NDC-Twifo Atti Morkwaa)
said the budget was not gender sensitive, and explained that
despite the passage of the Domestic Violence Law, the budget
made no provision for the care, and places to shelter women
traumatised from spousal abuse.
GNA
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