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General News of Monday, April 8, 2019
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
2019-04-08
play the videoJohn Boadu
NDC Response – By John Boadu
Dear Ghanaians, ladies and gentlemen, welcome and thank you for responding to our invitation. Today's briefing goes straight to the point.
Over the past few days, we, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), have had to ask ourselves a simple but very difficult question: do we really have to respond to what you, the journalists, describe yourself as a "party comedy"? the concert"? The Democratic National Congress (NDC) put forward last week by what can only be described by John Mahama's alternative economic management team? We decided to respond because, whether we like it or not, former President John Mahama and his CDN are the alternative that Ghanaian voters have to propose to President Akufo-Addo and the NPP in 2020.
An economic management team led by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and an economic management team with Adongo and co. 2020, ladies and gentlemen should surely be more than just adongonomy. It should work to protect the gains made so far and to deepen and spread them through job creation and better incomes.
A brief overview of the NDC and NPP eras
Ghana is 62 now. Most of this period, 27 years, was placed under the (P) NDC. Again, in the 26 years of the Fourth Republic, 16 years were governed by the NDC and 10 years by the NPP. This means that the NDC has had the greatest opportunity to transform this country and bring prosperity to the people of Ghana. But what do we see?
We see this: the NDCs, after eight years, end up bringing the country back to the NPP to fix it. Then they use propaganda, lies and insults to come back to destroy what has been repaired so that the NPP can come back to fix what the NDC has destroyed. What is even worse this time, ladies and gentlemen, is that they lack so much disrespect for the electoral wishes of the people that they present the very leadership of John Mahama who has dismissed Ghana in such a scandalous way between 2012 and 2016. Our question is: What new message can John Mahama and his NDC offer for your vote?
The nature of the Fourth Republic was the same story: the NDC creating a monumental disorder of the economy, the NPP intervening to clean up their mess only for the NDC to engage in the antics as they unfolded the week last. in the face of facts and reason, in the hope that their legendary ability to deceive and deceive them will bring them back a bit for a new opportunity to reverse the progress we have made.
To reinforce the above, if you examine the state of the economy and Ghana's growth trajectories over the years, it is clear that the nuclear power plant is being built and the NDC is destroying. NDC took us to the HIPC Initiative but did not have the courage to admit it, even though it was governed by an IMF program in 2000. It took President Kufuor to have most of the Ghana's debt be canceled and that Ghana be removed from the IMF program. In addition, thanks to GNPC's targeted operations, the nuclear power plant made Ghana an oil-rich nation, but left office before producing a single barrel of Jubilee oil. In addition, President Kufour's nuclear plant left office with Ghana's first credit rating, which brought us to B +. Before that, we were not even noticed. The government and businesses need a credit rating to be able to trade and borrow from abroad. After 8 years of economic management of the NDC, our rating went from B + to B-. Yes, B less under John Mahama! After only 20 months of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo nuclear power station, we have already moved from B to B. Our improved credit ratings have resulted in an over-subscribed Eurobond issue in multiples of 7 at the coupon rate the lowest and in the long run. had.
We understand and appreciate the real concerns of the Ghanaian people that the NDC has a discredited track record of managing the economy and should not be our benchmark for comparison. This is a fair comment, except that the NDC is the only realistic alternative to Ghanaians. Sad but true. We, the NPP, are pleased that the public is judging us with a higher benchmark than the NDC. However, civil society groups and the media do not behave as if they knew that the alternative is worse. All we say is this: Credit us for being better than the NDC and challenge us to do a lot more for Ghana. Do not make the Ghanaian voters, who can count on you for your information, believe that the NDC is a credible alternative. Let them know that #TheAlternativeIsStillScary and we promise not to be complacent, but to push harder to deliver. That's exactly what President Akufo-Addo is doing for Ghana.
Yes, it is true that in a multiparty democracy, the decisive choice of a political decision of the incumbent operator should be the alternative. However, this test becomes strangely lethal when the alternative is really scary. If you consider the indisputable facts, as described by the Government Economic Management Team (EMT) in the speech read by its chairman, the Vice President, Mr. Bawumia, it is clear that the economy Ghana recorded its worst performance over the four-year rule of Mr. John Mahama. In other words, President John Dramani Mahama did worse than the late President John Evans Atta Mills. In fact, you can even say that John Mahama destroyed everything that John Atta Mills hoped to build in the future. And yet, the NDC has not been able to find any other alternative to lead them. And, the alternative that they have to the late Amissah Arthur to direct their economic management team seems to be Adongo.
Until now, John Mahama has not been able to explain two destructive events that occurred under his reign – the two years of elections. In the few months that he became president before the 2012 general election, he spent an additional 4 billion GHS that was not budgeted for in his desperate attempt to win the election. We all remember the rlg laptops that were prepaid, but the students never got them. We all remember prepaid but never planted SADA trees worth several tens of millions of dollars, and guinea fowls that were also prepaid but never seen to be told that they flew to Burkina Faso. Schools under tree projects that have never been built but paid for we do. For the NDC under Mahama, creativity was limited to stealing money from the state. What did he do with the GHS4 billion? Where is the money?
In 2016 again, John Mahama spent an additional 7 billion GHS, probably for equipment costs that had not yet been budgeted, for expensive infrastructure, and many with labels. inflated prices can not be seen today or even priority projects for the country. The PNP asks John Mahama and his CND to show us what they have done with this billion dollars of infrastructure spending in 2016, and we will show them that we are able to do three times more with an even smaller amount . What he did was simply use that, allegedly, under contracts that did not benefit the people for whom he had been elected. However, our debt stock has grown significantly, which we continue to pay painfully today.
At the end of 2012, following the inauguration of John Mahama as President after the sad death of President Atta Mills, the economy was plunged into one of the worst budget deficits in our history, at 12, 2% of GDP. Ghana has never recovered from this unprecedented recklessness of the same person who now returns to ask for your votes in 2020.
The path of the double-digit deficit (in other words, reckless spending) continued in 2013, 2014 and 2016, ending at 9.3% of GDP not rebased. The NDC has not been able to dispute these facts because they are indisputable.
Let me expose the lies of Ato-Forson on these facts, especially the public deficit not rebased for 2016. That's what Ato-Forson said: "The data Officials from the Ministry of Finance clearly indicate that the overall deficit at the end of 2016 represented 7.8% of GDP (6.1% of the new GDP). Ladies and gentlemen, that was a big lie from Ato-Forson. The actual (and non-provisional) budget deficit for 2016 is clearly foreseen in the mid-year 2017 budget, as well as in the 2018 and 2019 budgets. And in each of them, the figure mentioned is 9.3 %, which corresponds to what Dr. Bawumia mentioned. For example:
Where did he get the 7.8% for 2016? Even the (new) 6.1% deficit that has been changed is wrong. That's more like 6.8%, as Dr. Bawumia mentioned.
By the time of Mahama, borrowings and the accumulation of unbridled debts were on the agenda, with an annual debt accumulation rate of 47% and 50% in 2013 and 2014, respectively, until the beginning of the year. of the IMF program. Debt had accumulated at the end of John Mahama's tenure, so that Ghana's debt alone could absorb about 73 percent of our gross domestic product. Ghana has been ranked among the countries at high risk of debt distress. Ladies and Gentlemen, I want you to imagine where Ghana would be if the people had not voted for change in 2016? In 2012, Mahama's mismanagement did not leave Ghana the choice to rush to the rescue of the IMF. In 2016, where would we have gone, because at the end of 2016, Ghana had not achieved any of the targets agreed in the budget and with the IMF? It was threatening the economy and the banking sector was also on the brink of a major collapse.
Again, Mr. Mahama, having inherited real GDP growth of more than 14% in 2011, could not even maintain it, but was watching its decline to 3.4% by the end of the year. 2016. The biggest decline in more than twenty years. It was a monumental failure that should not be allowed to be repeated.
The value of the cedi had quadrupled from GHC1.1 / $ to GHC2 / $ (double the nominal rate) to GHC3 / $ and GHC4.2 / $! (Near a quadruple increase). Counts: 1, 2, 3 and 4! They were not even on the double track on the exchange rate, they were on the quadruple way! The question then arises: Given Mr. Mahama's abominable quadrupling record in cedi management against the dollar, what nominal value would he have raised the cedi price per dollar if NDC was still power today or if still 8 years to rule? Your proposal is as good as mine.
The situation was so serious that the NDC had no choice but to turn to the IMF for help. By the end of 2016, John Mahama and the NDC government had missed all the objectives of the IMF program, leaving Ghanaians and their newly elected government, the NPP, holding the explosive can. This poor performance is unacceptable for a government that had large quantities of crude oil and borrowed as there was no tomorrow. Yes, for four years, President Mahama borrowed about $ 1 billion a year to support the budget, which added to huge deficits. Capital projects under Mahama have not been financed by Eurobonds. They were funded by extremely expensive project funds. We all remember inflated projects such as overflights built by Brazilian companies. Watch this place. The nuclear plant is planning to build airlifts this year at about half the price that Ghanaians had to pay under Mahama.
Instead of apologizing to the public for wasting public funds, John Mahama is using them to use these same dubious infrastructure projects at overly inflated prices as for his 2020 campaign. C & ### Is the height of reckless arrogance.
We have to let people know that money borrowed under the NDC has resulted in exaggerated contracts, such as Kotoka International Airport Terminal 3 and other public works. No matter what caring government could have built Terminal 3 and still have some modifications to make to build Ho Airport and modernize three other airports at the same price of about $ 275 million.
With all the billions of loans / debts contracted by John Mahama and the NDC on behalf of building infrastructure, the resignation of the NDC has sparked the strongest and most controversial cries of Ghanaians in favor of housing affordable, roads, bridges, schools, hospitals (including the activation of those who are abandoned, etc.), among others. The question we have to ask John Mahama when he is going to campaign for 2020 is this: Where did all the money go?
Why the public unrest for public infrastructure if so much has been contracted by the NDC on behalf of the same thing? The truth is simple: inflated contracts and simple theft! This is the legacy of John Mahama's government, which he wants to give back on one occasion. What did Ghanaians do to John Mahama and the NDC? Is there an end to their greed? Is there an end to their search and destruction?
While the economy was severely mismanaged and almost all economic indicators were moving in the opposite direction, many difficulties had been unleashed for ordinary Ghanaians. In 2009, in accordance with the Nuclear Power Plant Program, President Mills increased the capitation grant from GHS3 to GHS4.50 per child. Please note that the capitation grant was what offered free basic education in Ghana. President Mahama did not increase it once. For four years he stayed at GHS4.50. Compensation for teachers and trainees in nursing has been reduced, public sector jobs have been virtually frozen, research allowances for lecturers have been reduced, exemption of import duties for has been abolished, statutory payments have been made in several months and are sometimes unpaid. all the electricity bills were increased, taxes were levied on every item imaginable, including condoms, knives, and so on. Worse still, Ghanaians have had to endure a painful life of Dumsor for more than 4 years – a precarious situation in which the country has not witnessed the dark days of military regimes. How to preserve jobs and create new jobs when companies used part of their working capital to pay only their electricity bills and that employees sometimes used half their salary to pay small bills? It was the life of the Ghanaian under Mr. Mahama and the NDC. How should jobs be saved or created?
Even Mahama's solution to Dumsor was just an opportunity for his transaction agents to earn more money by making power purchase agreements. The Akufo-Addo government deserves praise for allowing Ghanaians to save more than $ 7.6 billion in excess electricity capacity only over the next 13 years. Yes, 7.6 billion dollars – almost 40 billion GHS! The nuclear power plant did this by competently reviewing about 26 power purchase agreements (for power plant construction) signed by the NDC, which would have given us over 10,000 megawatts power! Yet, it is a country whose peak demand now reaches around 2,500 MW! The nuclear power plant saved Ghana by ending 11 power purchase agreements and postponing others. We come to fix what NDC has come to destroy. It is the history of Ghana under both parties until now.
With all the noise they've made on the roads, including the East Corridor routes, I'm asking the CND to name any major road they've completed during their 8 years in the Upper West and Upper East regions. In the region of origin of President Mahama (the former Northern Region), the only important road they have taken is Fufoso-Sawla. And even this one is being ripped off by the rains. If the challenge is to borrow to spend so much money on fewer projects at unreasonably exorbitant costs, the NPP is not interested in this competition.
John Mahama and the NDC also inherited stifling interest payments on the debts they left, rampant inflation, high interest rates, a weakened banking system and rising unemployment.
The situation under NPP and President Akufo-Addo Today, under the leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the NPP, the economy has recovered, we have abandoned the program of the IMF and are on the right track to create future that Ghanaians have always yearned for. The new oil and gas discoveries offer us another opportunity, under a BNP government, to grow the economy at a giant leap, to create jobs and to allow Ghanaians to make their way to Africa. prosperous.
To facilitate trade, make our ports competitive in the region and further reduce the cost of goods and services, even with single-digit inflation, the government has put a host of innovative measures in place at the ports. While the reduction of 50% and 30% reference values for vehicles seems to be topical, let me talk about the other less discussed first. I will come back to the reference values currently. A flat-rate royalty structure is now adopted for port and customs duties and fees. This means that the fees will no longer be calculated as a percentage of the value of the goods, which will help importers to make significant savings on charges and postage.
Subject to Parliament's approval, the following elements should also be examined in order to further reduce import fees and charges:
Service charges billed by the Ghanaian shippers' authority of $ 1.50 per tonne for each export and $ 2.0 per tonne for each import levied
Registration fees for importers imposed by the Ghana Standards Authority, the Eazy Pbad tax introduced by the Ghana Standards Authority, can reach 0.5% of the CIF value of the goods. Security charge levied by the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) of $ 0.50 per gross tonnage of each ship entering Ghanaian waters, and US EPA environmental tax of $ 7.00 per new tire and 0.5% of the CAF value of several imported items.
The reductions in port fees and taxes are in addition to the 50% reduction in reference values or delivery values of imports (30% for vehicles). The reference values are the values badigned to the large product group by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Customs Division, excluding the goods covered by the Freight Tracking Note (CTN) system, because Over the years, efforts have been made by some unscrupulous importers to under-invoice them.
The effect of this is that the dutiable value of a container of canned tomato container that could have been said to be 100,000.00 GH attracting for example 10% of the total royalties, charges and duties of 10,000.00. GH immediately became 50,000 GH, resulting in lower total costs, charges and fees of only 5,000 GH ?. This in turn translates into affordable prices for canned tomatoes in the market for Ghanaians from all income groups and jobs for more people along the line, etc.
Ladies and gentlemen, the uniqueness of this new import tariff reduction policy through the adjustment of reference values lies in the immediacy with which the reductions took place. Although NDC repeatedly tried to give a dismal picture of the lack of reduction, importers began to feel the effects 24 hours after the announcement. Several testimonials and testimonies on this subject have been reported on radio, television and social networks.
This shows the prudence and the competence of the government in the implementation of the policy and in the success of its implementation. However, we are informed by some importers that port officials and habitual saboteurs may impede importers and also impede their implementation. We encourage the government to stand firm and look for people whose actions or inactions may be a threat to this policy.
Contrary to the situation under Mahama and the NDC, President Akufo-Addo and the NPP reestablish the courtesies and opportunities that were taken by the Ghanaian people under Mahama while creating new ones that never existed . Today, stipends for nurse trainees have been reinstated and about 17 taxes have been removed or reinstated. There is no freeze on employment in the public sector – the badociation of unemployed graduates is dissolved, import duties have been reduced for all, including fees school health workers SHS, BECE registration fees being absorbed by the government, the paid – over $ 1.2 billion in arrears paid by the NHIS
Infrastructure as part of a nuclear power plant
Ladies and gentlemen, you may have heard the NDC at its open meeting in Chalewote, calling on the government to match its infrastructure record. Even though their 8 year inflated infrastructure record is just a complete charade, let's all ask them to mention a single infrastructure they built in Ghana in their first two years, from 2009 to April 2011.
In just two years of President Akufo-Addo's government, we have a lot to show and much more to come. Just this week, on Wednesday, May 10, the government will launch the start of an investment of 2 billion US dollars in infrastructure projects, two-thirds of them in roads and highways. This will be the largest infrastructure investment project carried out by a government over a year in the last five decades. To do this, we do not increase our national debt. Instead, we use innovative financing techniques to mobilize our natural resources, including bauxite, for development purposes. This project involves the construction of the first-ever interchange in the five northern regions at point 7 of Tamale and the western PTC region at Takoradi, a dream that our brethren in the North and West are looking forward to.
We have securitized GETFUND receivables for $ 1.5 billion worth of school infrastructure projects. These projects are underway in all regions of the country. In the railway sector, the Accra-Tema railway service has started to operate on the renovated line, the rehabilitation of the Accra / Nsawam line is almost complete, work is continuing on the rehabilitation of the Kojokrom section in Tarkwa, work on the standard gauge section from Kojokrom to Manso is underway, the Eastern Line, Western and Tema-Ouagadougou lines are subject to bids.
Others include Phase 2 of Tamale Airport, Phase 2 of the Kumasi Market and Airport, construction of four (4) dedicated container terminals, the multi-purpose container terminal at Takoradi Port, Dry Bulk pier at Takoradi port, construction of transhipment sites (Dambai, Yeji). , Makango and Agordeke), 10 centers of excellence for youth and sports in progress, the Eastern Regional Theater in Koforidua is completed.
In addition to the above and many other projects, including road construction in Kumasi, Accra and other parts of the country, funds were also made available for the launch of the following activities: 12 fish landing sites, the Yendi water project, multi-dam Pwalugu, Bui solar hybrid and irrigation project, etc. Between Pwalugu and Bui, 60,000 hectares are to be irrigated, compared with 12,980 hectares irrigated by the Government since the creation of GIDA in 1977.
As part of the Poverty Eradication Infrastructure Program (IPEP), every constituency in Ghana has had a large number of basic infrastructure such as toilets, water and sanitation facilities. , school buildings, etc. The infrastructure debate is interesting and we welcome our friends from the NDC. We invite the NDC to take up this challenge and we hope it will accept. Show us your infrastructure projects during your first two years of mandate from 2009 to 2011. The clock of the timekeeper has begun and we are counting.
Dear Ghanaians, this is certainly the work of a visionary leadership government, whose well-being is at the heart of everything it does. At this rate, can you imagine the amount of work that will be provided after 4 or 8 years of government? We are about to radically transform our lives. John Mahama and the NDC have clearly demonstrated that they have nothing to offer, with the exception of mismanagement, incompetence and corruption. This alternative is frightening and we all have to work together to make sure that never happens.
The biggest mistake we can make as Ghanaians is to put these resources, as well as our future, in the same hands that have allowed an oil-rich country to grow from 14% to 3.4%.
Mr. Mahama of the NDC was 8 years old in the government. With Mahama, constitutionally, allowed him only 4 additional years in the unlikely event that he would get his head. Does he want to go from being 8 years old to 4 years old and calling himself a REDUCED CANDIDATE? As we all know from our experiences of 2007, when we reformulated the cedi, in Redomomination, the value is the same. Mahama therefore has nothing new to offer Ghanaians, apart from the incompetence and corruption he has witnessed.
Say no to a redenominated candidate (Mahama) because he never changes. Mahama – The value is the same. More importantly, Mahama's NDC alternative is still scary.
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