The Former Majority Chief Whip and current member of the Dr. Bawumia’s campaign team, Frederick Opare Ansah has strongly asserted that Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia’s claim that he only served as an advisor on the Economic Management Team (EMT) is not far from the truth as the EMT per convention is an advisory panel to the Cabinet which also serves as an advisory board to the President.
Mr. Frederick Opare Ansah made this remark in response to the narrative being pushed by the opposition that Dr. Bawumia is to be blamed largely for Ghana’s economic crisis.
He stated that contrary to the existing popular opinion, the Vice President did not seek to exclude himself from the incumbent government in his speech at the University of Professional Studies Accra during the launch of his Presidential bid.
Accordingly, the Fmr Majority Chief Whip asserted that he is pleased with Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia’s contribution to Ghana’s economy and further posited that the ‘Gold for Oil’ project, which was a massive success, undertaken by the government was based on the Vice President’s advice.
He stressed that most successful projects undertaken by the government are as a result of the Vice President’s expertise.
Also, Mr. Frederick Opare Ansah stated that he believes Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia’s address at the launch of his Presidential bid which took place at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) was convincing to the public.
He stated that the presentation made by the Vice President has brought NPP supporters who were otherwise disappointed in the government back on the party’s side.
More so, the Fmr. Majority Chief Whip declared that the Vice President cannot accept the blame of an entire government as every individual in the government has a specific role they play and so does the Economic Management Team.
He contended that Ghana’s present economic ranking is due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war and internal issues such as the banking sector clean up.
Mr Opare-Ansah asserted that Ghanaians must accept the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the country as most economies like Ghana experienced their biggest recession since the 1930s in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Covid-19 and Ghana’s Economy
Furthermore, Mr. Frederick Opare Ansah argued that isolating Ghana from the world in judging the impact the pandemic had on economies is impractical.
He argued that even though there are challenges, Ghanaians do not seem to struggle as much as other countries as government is able to provide the basic necessities of Ghanaians despite the various challenges it is facing in its administration.
Subsequently, the Fmr. Majority Chief Whip of the NPP declared that the incumbent government should not be blamed entirely for the current state of Ghana’s economy.
He argued that the current government inherited a ‘depraved’ economy and progress the incumbent government made during its first term in power was undermined by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequently by the bearings of the Russia-Ukraine war.
He argued that other counties are doing better post-covid as these countries had a more robust economy than Ghana prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Moreover, Mr. Frederick Opare Ansah stated that the Vice President has always been of the opinion that Ghanaians are overburden by their tax obligations.
He stated that Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia’s aim is to offer Ghana’s tax system a restructuring as the tax system is so complex to navigate. He asserted that while the Vice President’s stance on the covid-levy is unclear, it is the prerogative of parliament to ensure that it is removed. He stated that taxes such as the covid-levy come with clauses which indicate when the levy will be stopped.
READ ALSO: GUTA To Institute A Social Contract With Political Parties
