*Economy In 'ICU': Oppong Nkrumah Replies Mahama
The Akufo-Addo government has said it will not be sidetracked by what it deems as former President John Mahama’s continuous invitation to dabble in partisan politics with the COVID-19 situation.
Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said on Monday, 27 April 2020 that honouring such invitation would mean losing focus on the fight against a “very complex global problem” being confronted by President Akufo-Addo.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah was reacting to recent comments by the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the economy, which the government has always touted as resilient, was now in “ICU” with just a little more than a month after COVID-19 hit home.
In a Facebook Live session on Thursday, April 23 2020, dubbed: ‘John Mahama in a Digital Conversation’, the former President said this about the economy: “… It is always necessary when you are building an economy to have enough buffers and create fiscal space so that when you are faced with a shock or adversity, you are easily able to overcome it”.
“Unfortunately, this government has used a lot of propaganda saying the economy has been the best that we have ever had since independence. Unfortunately, just one month of coronavirus, the economy is in ICU. If we didn’t run to the IMF for the one billion rapid credit facility, it is possible that in the next month, probably, salaries would not have been paid and, so, our economy is on ventilators, and it needs thinking to rescue it from the ICU”.
Even though Mr Oppong Nkrumah, in an interview with Citi FM on Monday, 27 April 2020 declined what he described as an “invitation” to wallow in the political sludge with Mr Mahama, he nonetheless gave some response or sort.
“I don’t want to get into politics; we’ve said that we are fighting a national war. It’s obvious that my good friend, the former President, at every turn, wants to draw us into that space and have a political banter with us, but we’re focused on a very complex problem. When we start getting into that space, we begin to lose focus on the common target or the common enemy. As tempting as it is, we’re focused on a complex problem at this point in time”, Mr Oppong caveated before remarking: “The former President is the one on whose tenure we didn’t have a global crisis”, adding: “He superintended a local energy crisis and run to the International Monetary Fund for a bailout, ended up locking us in so many conditionalities that literally, almost collapsed the Ghanaian economy”.
The Ofoase-Ayirebi MP continued: “Three years down the line, I’m not saying it, you have over and over again articulated what our numbers look like, what the global economic platforms say of our numbers, how these numbers have managed to even shore us up up to where we are today.
“We’re getting into a space where, like the President said, lift our head up beyond the parapet and deal with some 88 particular district hospitals and he [Mr Mahama] wants to draw us into a conversation about whether the economy is resilient or not; now is not the time to get into that with him.
“As I’ve said, we’re tackling a very complex global problem, not the local one that he created and struggled to deal with. But as tempting as it is to get into the political space, I’m of the view that if we do that, the real conversation that we should be spending airtime on to help us win this battle, we’ll lose it”, Mr Oppong Nkrumah noted.
Source: classfmonline
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It is very sad and pathetic to refer to John Mahama as an Ex-President; no leadership qualities none whatsoever. In this Covid-19 era when he should put his shoulder to the wheel and toghether with the indefatigable President and his Team fight this enemy, he's rather exposed his emptiness. Very pathetic to say the least. He hasn't got any message for Ghanaians and it shall be clearly evident come 2020 Elections with God on ourside. Mr. President Kudos! Great Job! Stay focused! The Battle is still the Lord's.
Ghanaians prefer Mahama to a ***barred word***, self styled lawyer without certificate and has become a curse, liability and threat to the nation.
Non Patriotic party is a gang of hardened criminals, contract killers, fraudsters and nation wreckers. Dr Nkrumah made a mistake for allowing these jungle men from Ashanti & Akyem forests to be part of Ghana.
But for Mahama and NDC development projects in Ashanti and Eastern region Opong Nkrumah and his fellow Akyem bushmen would be living among the monkeys naked in the Atiwa & Akwaping forests by now.
Mahama is suffering from political power withdrawal syndrome. He is allowed to continue bleating. It is his constitutional right.
Minister of misinformation should explain to ghanaians why a pastor who refused to obey social gathering would be sentenced to jail for 4years and EC which is not classified as essential will organize meeting at a hotel and nothing happens. Ghana is for ghanaians and so we should be very careful. When shiIITt happens nobody can run away because of CORO
YOU STAND NO CHANCE TO COME BACK-APUU,EX PRESIDENT.what are you up tO?GONE ARE THE DAYS WHEN YOU ALONE SIT DOWN WITH FOREIGN COMPANIES TO NEGOTIATE ON BEHALF OF GHANA AND STEAL MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.AIRBUS PILOT AND KARPOWER PRODUCER-***barred word***,salute
***barred word*** peace FM online updat what is already written ***barred word*** ***barred word***
The government must ignore this attention seeking c0rrupt John Ford Airbus Mahama and concentrate on their good works. The guy is totally confused because of the coming up of his secret rotten airbus bribery deal that he cannot comment about. He is trying very hard to distract the ruling government. Government must give him to the serial callers to deal with him. C0rrupt Mahama will never be president again. Even some people in the NDC party hate him but he has the most st0len cash to spend for their campaign......
NPP you are doing a good job, don`t be distracted by any time waster who has nothing better to offer