NDC Guru Dares Bawumia ��Tell Us How Much We Lost Due to Election Petition�

Two narratives seem to be forming to describe the underlying causes of the economic crisis that has hit the nation. One, as outlined in a press statement by the New Patriotic Party is that the Mahama government�s current economic management style, consisting of reckless spending, more borrowing and increased taxation will lead to economic suicide. The other opposing narrative is that the nation lost billions in foreign investments due to the eight-month long Election Petition case hearing at the Supreme Court. According to Paa Kwesi Brew-Yalley, an entrepreneur and leading member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) the hearing, which was necessitated by the NPP's dispute over the declaration of John Mahama as winner of the 2012 presidential elections, deprived the country of the needed foreign investments to develop. He therefore challenged Dr. Bawumia who was party in the suit to come out with figures as to how much the nation lost as a result of what he described as an inconsequential protracted dispute. �Nana Akufo Addo who is not an economist can be pardoned but certainly not Bawumia who is an economist, he owes as some answers, he must tell us how much the nation lost as a result of this court case� he added strongly. Mr. Yalley who also once contested for his party�s National Youth organizer position went on to argue that the election petition case was more than a sheer election dispute and that, it deprived the country of the needed political stability for investor confidence. � It was not just a political issue that was being resolved, it was an economic issue Who will like to invest in a country whose political and democratic future is uncertain?� He quizzed passionately Throwing his weight behind government�s decision to fall on IMF for a bailout in the midst of the ongoing polemics and backlash it has attracted from the opposition, he said there is no question of reversing the move, just because it comes with some conditions. Ghana is not and will not be the first country to turn to IMF, the fact is that not much would change even with the assistance from the international organization if we continue to do things the same way we do in this country. According to him �We had other options like selling a national asset which would have been inimical to the State at this point, but the phenomenon of getting rich nations to forgive your debts or hand you cash is a strategy that has been employed more than a few times. The important part of this whole debate Mr. Yalley said was the implementation of a strategy to pay back the debt, therefore kicking against the usual retrenchments that go with the IMF package and rather suggesting an attitude revolution in the public sector, arguing that the retrenchment exercise will cost the nation huge sums of money. �Our attitude towards work as a nation must change positively if Ghana must develop and actualize its vision and its other economic objectives. The lack of enthusiasm is very glaring in the attitude of many Ghanaian workers who see their jobs as dull, laborious, repetitious, tedious, irritating, risky or dangerous. The only joy some workers, especially those in the public sector; get out of their jobs is the closing time�. On this note he call on organised labour and other stakeholders to consider a 24-hour work schedule with a well arranged shift system for public sector workers, explaining that it was one of the ways that government will be able to meet its targets. Addressing some selected youth in the parts of country as part of a nationwide tour designed to listen to the youth, the young entrepreneur challenged young men and women to contribute their quota towards national development and not as usual rely on government for bread and other imaginary white collar jobs. "We are faced with challenges but we have the capacity to deal with them,� he said, while seeking support of the youth in this situation. Making a statement on the state of the economy amid concerns over rapid depreciation of the CEDI, Mr. Brew-Yalley, an accomplished entrepreneur said the country has to be ready for short-term shocks but the government will ensure that the fundamentals of economy remain strong. He partly attributed the woes of the cedi to the importation of domestic goods into the country, adding �businesses and individuals spend the country�s hard earned foreign currency on, importing assortment of goods and items which can be produced locally with minimal investment and seriousness �As a matter of urgency the Ministry of Trade and Industry must engage manufacturers and see how best they could be supported�. He said As one of those Ghanaians ever ready to give President Mahama another chance, Mr. Yalley charged Ghanaians to support the President saying, it is an obligation and a requirement of every Ghanaian to ensure that John Mahama succeeds. Recalling a portion of Dr. Nkrumah�s independence speech to buttress his point: �Seeing you in this� it doesn't matter how far my eye goes, I can see that you are here in your millions and my last warning to you is that you are to stand firm behind us so that we can prove to the world that when the African is given a chance he can show the world that he is somebody� He said it was a responsibility to ensure that President succeeds since his success would be in the collective interest of the nation as a whole �My own current view is that all Ghanaians must do their very best to help President Mahama to succeed, as the first President under the fourth Republic to work from the Flagstaff House, adding that �If he fails from there it would cast dark clouds around that office and even be a bad omen for future Presidents who choose to live there�. He therefore admonished all, regardless of party colours to rally behind the President saying that �his success is tied to ours�