The Chief Executive Officer of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, claims that the Ghanaian government has not taken the current economic situation seriously.
According to him, reports from meetings on the government’s planned debt exchange programme does not suggest in any way that the government is committed to tackling the economic crisis head-on.
“I mean the reports that I’ve been hearing from the meetings that are going on doesn’t seem to suggest to me that the government seems to be quite serious at all in dealing with the urgent issues because we’re going to be in this quagmire for the next eight years if not 10, and I don’t see any ray of hope on the horizon given the way we’re behaving already,” he said on JoyNews’ PM Express.
He further bemoaned the government’s lack of sincerity in how it is handling the entire debt exchange programme.
“I mean, there was a bit of insincerity in the way the whole communication between the committee that was set up to look into this debt exchange and the way announcements were made almost immediately because some aspects of the deal had been leaked to the public. So it doesn’t evoke some sense of seriousness,” he said.
Meanwhile, he has reiterated calls for the government to implement austerity measures on itself by drastically cutting expenditure and reducing the size of government.
According to Franklin Cudjoe, the failure of government to even symbolically internalize these austerity measures is partly responsible for the pushback against the government’s debt operation policy.
“Unfortunately, I’m not too sure that keeping things the way they are or should be will take us out of the doldrums. Something ought to give and it started with this so-called debt exchange programme. All we’re asking for is that you need to show some sincerity in asking everybody else to tighten their belts while you turn to loosen yours.
“I think we need to start from that fundamental point that if you’re asking us who were not party to the debt iceberg that you have created, the only way to have a thawing of the iceberg is for you to also be seen to be melting, having sunshine over some parts of the iceberg really.
“So I’m not too sure we’ve reached a point where you say you’re no longer going to listen. I think essentially what it is, is how you’re listening and how you’re going to practicalise what you’ve heard. And that’s where we’re at,” he said.
Source: Myjoyonline