The Minority Group in Parliament on Sunday, July 17 2022 held a workshop at the Volta Serene Hotel.
Former President, John Mahama was there and this is what he said:
My brother the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu,
Leadership of the Minority Caucus,
Members of the Caucus,
Ladies and gentlemen.
It is a real pleasure to join you at the end of what I believe has been a very
useful workshop to sharpen your skills and boost your repertoire of knowledge
as Parliamentarians.
Though many, including my good self, have gone through this path you find
yourselves as MPs, the composition of the 8th Parliament under the Fourth
Republic, places you at the centre of history. It has also brought in its wake,
a unique responsibility and burden of expectation never witnessed.
The people of
Ghana, in their own wisdom, have decided to produce a hung Parliament in which
none of the two major parties who have dominated the house in the recent past,
have a clear advantage.
As the Rt. Hon. Speaker ruled at the inception of this Parliament, there is no
Majority or Minority side. What we rather have is a Majority group and a
Minority group.
We in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) maintain that, but for the abuse
and misuse of security goons with the connivance of the Electoral Commission to
overturn the true outcome of the 2020 elections, we would have secured a clear
majority in Parliament. This unprecedented Parliamentary outlook reflects years
of criticism and demands by our people for a strong and assertive legislative
arm of government that is truly independent of the excessively powerful
Executive.
It also reflects a desire for greater scrutiny of the Executive and more efficient
exercise of your oversight functions, especially for those of you in the
Minority group. From the very first day therefore, your work was cut out for
you. On the evidence of what we have seen so far, you have done what is within
your power to shield Ghanaians against some draconian and very poor policy
proposals of the Akufo-Addo government.
You have stood firmly and pushed back against blatant abuse of Parliamentary
rules and standing orders.
Deploying unorthodox methods on some occasions, you have held a marauding
government, that has viewed itself as invincible and that treats Ghanaians with
contempt, at bay and prevented them, as far as possible, from ramming very
unpopular policies down the throats of our people.
As you have done this, the Akufo-Addo administration has intensified its
efforts to whittle down your numbers. It has not shied away from using bizarre
judicial processes to achieve this objective. A case in point is how our MP for
Assin South remains an MP yet is barred from performing his functions in
Parliament. This has unjustifiably and inexplicably denied the people of Assin
South, representation in Parliament at a time when other constituencies where
legal disputes have arisen over the Parliamentary elections of 2020 have their
MPs discharging their duties until the determination of the substantive maters
brought against them.
They have also sought to use malicious prosecutions against some of you as a
way of intimidating you into silence and docility. These tactics have not
diminished your resolve and you continue to remain resolute. That said, a lot
is still expected from you as a Minority group in Parliament. Given the way
state agencies including some arms of government pander to the will of the
Akufo-Addo administration and are prepared to undermine the rules and
long-established principles to do their bidding, you remain perhaps the last
true bulwark between the longsuffering people of this country and total misrule.
You have become the immediate hope of a people who labour under irresponsible
governance and abuse of office. There is the need therefore to meet this
expectation by injecting further impetus into your work by keeping an even
keener eye on the activities of the Executive.
The scrutiny that you are required to do on behalf of the people who elected
you also extends to all state institutions. The framers of the 1992
constitution intended that a number of these institutions complement the
efforts of the Legislature at ensuring good governance. The style of this administration
has been to subjugate and dominate these institutions for parochial and
partisan gain. These institutions have thus become pliant tools for the
furtherance of the political ends of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and
President Akufo-Addo.
One such institution is the Electoral Commission, which instead of making it
easy for our citizens to take part in elections, rather takes delight in making
it difficult. They appear determined to ensure the disenfranchisement of
sections of our population at all costs through a misguided insistence on the
use of the Ghana card as the only source of identification for a voter card.
How do you do this, knowing that the Ghana Card is not available to everyone
who should have one?
The Ghana Card is a relatively new feature of our national life and has its
merits in the scheme of things. At the moment, it is being brandished more as a
political tool around which all manner of schemes is being fashioned towards
elections. There is the need to allow sufficient time for its full integration
into our way of life before this kind of unhelpful exclusion of all other
legitimately acquired, credible and time-tested forms of identification is
implemented.
The National Identification Authority cannot claim to have covered every Ghanaian
who should be registered or distributed all the cards printed to those who have
been captured in their system. They have failed to distribute hundreds of
thousands of cards to people who have registered. Until full and total coverage
is achieved in the roll out of the Ghana Card, room must be made for those who
are yet to be served, to exercise their democratic rights of voting. They
cannot be excluded from the voter register due to no fault of theirs.
This should be clear and quite easy to appreciate. The haste on the part of the
Electoral Commission to exclude all other means of identification is therefore
clearly indecent and informed by an ulterior objective. Last week, you in the
Minority raised red flags over suspected attempts to compile a new register on
the sole basis of the Ghana Card.
The Electoral Commission has been quick to deny that it harbours any such
intentions. Until the advent of the current leadership of the Commission, this
denial would have marked the end of the matter. The Commission in its present
guise is known to have walked back on similar commitments in the recent past
and so we in the NDC will maintain eternal vigilance to ensure that no such
thing happens.
The process of continuous registration as canvassed by the Electoral Commission
must necessarily include a system that enables all political parties and
relevant stakeholders to possess the capacity to monitor same in real time, to
avoid fraud and exploitation to the undue advantage of any party. We in the NDC
will insist on this. This workshop is being held at a time of great suffering
in our land due to unparalleled economic mismanagement by the Akufo-Addo and
Bawumia government. After a lengthy period of living in denial and plunging the
economy into unprecedented doldrums, government finally decided a few weeks ago
to request for an IMF programme.
They left the decision so late that substantial damage had been done to the
economy by the time the call was finally made. Inflation stands at a 19 year
high of almost 30% for June and is almost set to rise. Our deficit and revenue
targets have so far been badly missed and we are most likely to post yet
another double-digit deficit at the end of this financial year.
Our public debt has continued to mount. 4 Indications from the recent data
collection exercise of the IMF team that visited Ghana last week are that
government has up to GHS 40 billion in arrears and contingent liabilities in
addition to the official public debt of about GHS 400 billion. On the back of
this, it is believed that our debt to GDP ratio runs into the 90% region.
Our ability to meet our debt service obligations remains tenuous with Ghana
ranked as the country with the second highest likelihood of debt default in the
world after El Salvador. It is no secret that our foreign currency reserve
position is extremely precarious. This leaves us vulnerable unless there is an
urgent injection of additional foreign exchange inflows.
The economic hardships persist and is set to remain for an extended period.
Amid this gloomy outlook, those responsible for the mess refuse to exhibit
contrition and sobriety. One of the key architects of the failed policies and
mismanagement that have led to our economic downfall and suffering, found it
necessary a couple of days ago, to put up a public display that verged on the
ridiculous and comical. In a government where honour and responsibility are
respected, the Chair of the Economic Management Team that has thrust us into
this crisis would have stepped down or dismissed.
In fact, the very idea that this government has requested for an IMF programme
would have been sufficient reason for him to go in view of all the
unenlightened propaganda he dabbled in against our IMF programme of 2015.
Rather, he has chosen to show a gaping deficit in leadership attributes by
making untenable excuses and seeking to shift blame onto the government that
left power almost six years ago and which had no role to play in the poor
policy choices that have delivered these disastrous outcomes.
I have recently dispelled, based on facts and figures, the false attributions
made for our economic problems, but it bears repeating that none of the tall
list of excuses he made for where we are is acceptable. All our neighbors were
also affected by COVID-19 and exist in the same world in which the Russian-
Ukrainian conflict is raging.
Almost none of them have anywhere near 30% inflation, or double-digit deficits
or the kind of debt we have or a debt to GDP ratio around 90%. None of them has
a higher risk of debt default than we do. The often-cited GHS 25 billion used
in the so-called financial sector clean-up was self-inflicted and the result of
reckless, politically motivated decision-making.
I would stress that the problems the banks and financial institutions had,
could have been resolved with a third of that amount and we would have
recovered same in good time if this government was minded doing the right
thing. The Akufo-Addo and Bawumia government took the unwise decision to
collapse those financial institutions and is liable for any outcome. The claims
about excess capacity payment are no truer than the other three excuses. The
monies paid to the IPPs, which is deceptively couched as payment for “excess
capacity” are in fact subsidies paid for power that has been generated and
supplied to consumers. 5 We had done sufficient work before our exit in 2016,
to address the financial bottlenecks in the energy sector.
One of the outcomes of this work is ESLA, which to date has given this
government about GHS 23 billion. This should be enough to substantially ease
the financial problems of the sector. The now legendary mismanagement of this
government has however ensured, that despite collecting all this money, IPPs
are currently owed over $ 800 million equivalent to about GHS 6 billion. No
amount of buck-passing can wipe away the irrefutable fact that our present
economic situation stems from reckless election-related expenditure,
mismanagement, ineptitude, and lack of proper leadership.
The highest form of irresponsibility is to shift responsibility to others and
irresponsible leaders are simply not worth the mandate of the people. We
require serious and focused leadership to reverse the trajectory of the
economic collapse we have been set on by this government. I would also repeat
my call on President Akufo-Addo to take control of the situation and inject
fresh, reflective, and dynamic thinking into the management of the economy.
It is evident now more than ever, that those who superintended this disaster do
not even realize the cause or gravity of the problem and cannot be relied upon
to find any credible remedy. We in the NDC continue to do our part by holding
this government to account and offering viable alternative paths.
Where the NPP saw political advantage and an opportunity for political
rent-seeking in 2015 when we went to the IMF, we see a nation in distress that
requires urgent salvation in 2022 when we have gone back to the IMF. That is
why we have been measured and responsible in our commentary and posturing over
the latest IMF decision by this government.
It is also the reason why we have insisted on effective scrutiny of the
economic and financial decisions of this government at this time, especially in
Parliament. We do not believe that the existence of crisis permits even more
reckless decision making. All decisions and policy choices made at this
critical juncture could offer relief or exacerbate our problems and make
recovery extremely difficult.
We are in a massive hole, and we do not need further digging. This informed my
announcement that the NDC and the Minority in Parliament would not be
supporting the ultra-expensive $1 billion syndicated loan agreement brought to
Parliament by the finance minister. Our position on the $250 million component
remains unchanged as such unfavorable terms as the $40 million insurance
payment and total interest of over $ 80 million make it too expensive and
inimical to the economic interest of Ghana.
It is also not programmed in the 2022 budget statement. Until the terms are
renegotiated to make them favourable and same captured in subsequent budgets,
we are unable to support the approval of this $250 million component. On the $
750 million component, which was programmed in the 2022 budget, we note that
since I stated our position a fortnight ago, some effort has gone into
renegotiating the costs and terms, which now appear more favourable than when
it was originally presented.
Clarity is however yet to be brought on the exact purpose of the loan. Beyond a
sweeping claim of using it to finance some activities in a few sectors, no
breakdown of growth-related sector projects has been provided. I wish to state
that in addition to the new and improved terms, the NDC will only support the
approval of this component if evidence of its use for specific growth- related
projects leading to improvements in the lives of our people is presented.
It is my belief that this workshop has sharpened your skills, which have
already come in handy in the fight to protect the interest of the people of
Ghana and keep this government in check. If we are to navigate these turbulent
and extremely difficult periods in our history, we will need an effective and
vibrant legislature.
As Minority MPs, the bulk of that task rests on your shoulders and you would
have to redouble your efforts to keep pace with the demands and expectation of
our people. It is history and providence that have placed you in this most
unique position of being representatives of the people in a hung Parliament.
It is the sort of situation our people have yearned for, for quite some time
and you must grasp the full weight of that expectation. It is my belief that
the bright note on which you have started will continue and we will see more
from you by way of quality representation of the people and greater scrutiny of
an executive which has tendered to govern badly and abuse the mandate of the
people.
I thank you for your kind attention.
Source: Peacefmonline.com