Editorial: Best Budget In Years

We looked on with sadness, as some NPP Members of Parliament (MPs) struggle to out-shout each other (on the minority side) in an attempt to fish-out derogatory words to describe the 2010 Economic Policy and Financial Statement of the government that was presented last week. Soaked in political jealousy and enmity, these supposed Honourables screamed on top of their voices, hit their tables, jumped around and acted in a way and manner to show their disapproval for the economic policies, proposed. To them, the Budget statement is the worse in years. Soon after presentation, a retired NPP MP and former Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Hon. Yaw Osafo Marfo, who happened to be in the Legislature to witness the reading, describe the budget as a positive one. This savvy politician and expert, who obviously understood the budget statement better than all the NPP MPS, praised the Finance Minister for stabilizing the economy, something he told the media is difficult to do. Osafo Marfo further agreed with the steps being taken by the Finance Minister to generate revenue so as to invest into agriculture and other critical areas. According to Osafo Marfo, the Minister of Finance should design additional means of taxing certain sectors so as to have more revenue. He further lauded the plan to invest in Agric, describing it as the back-bone of the economy. Another NPP stalwart and a revered economist, Prof Cletus Dodornu, who was on TV3, to monitor the live presentation, also agreed with the efforts of the Finance Minister in steering the economy to ensure agro-based productivity, especially in the wake of an oil and gas industry. Almost every economist, financial analyst and broker who has join in the discussion of the Budget Statement have rated it as one of the best, in years. The Informer is therefore at a loss, as to what the NPP MPs in Parliament were shouting at, when they continuously interrupted Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, during the reading. From all indications it is dishonest to describe the 2010 Budget as a �Sakawa Part 2� Team B Budget�, �Enko Yie Budget�, and with other derogatory words. We wonder where the Honour in those NPP MPs had gone, on that Wednesday. It is a shame. As the experts have said, The Informer is encouraging every Ghanaian to be hopeful that the country is back on track and that prosperity is on its way. A country that is food sufficient, with increasing job opportunities is all that we have prayed for, in years past. And this is what the 2010, is all about.