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Northern speaking MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa calls for the urgent formulation of a state policy on presidential travel.
His appeal follows his claim that President Akufo-Addo hired another “expensive private jet” for his trip to Germany and the UK last week.
Describing it as an unreasonable rape of the public purse just to satisfy the comfort of a president, Mr Okudzeto said it could not continue.
In a statement he posted on his Facebook page, the MP for North Tongue claimed Ghana would have to pay at least $ 14,000 an hour if officials deal directly with the company and between 18,000 and 22,000 $ per hour if intermediaries were hired.
“Using the conservative rate of US $ 14,000 per hour, the two trips to the UK and Germany that require approximately 28 hours of round trip travel plus 13 additional hours of pickup and drop-off, the taxpayer has to again been charged with the colossal sum of US $ 574,000.00 At the current exchange rate, this represents 3.46 million Ghanaian cedis, “he said.
He said he was shocked that “Ghanaians can be treated with such presidential contempt” when the dust has not yet settled on the Airbus ACJ320 neo-sky-bath-scandal.
He assured the Ghanaians that their quest for responsibility for the previous trip was not over.
“President Akufo-Addo can rest assured that this latest misconduct will also be subject to surgical review by the NDC Caucus in Parliament when the August Assembly resumes.
Mr. Okudzeto advised the Akufo-Addo / Bawumia administration to govern with “conscience and genuine sincerity”.
According to him, he could not understand how the protesting workers could be asked to agree to “a paltry 4% wage increase to be paid in installments while the president continued to indulge in such” cruel and unnecessary extravagance?
“If the president has no use for the Ghanaian presidential plane, he might as well sell it so that we can at least raise funds to buy vaccines. A National Presidential Travel Policy is a MUST and we need it NOW! »He stressed.
Read the full statement below:
It has become absolutely imperative to demand a national policy on presidential travel similar to what is being done in other jurisdictions.
This is most crucial to avoid the abuse of discretionary power by President Akufo-Addo to the detriment of the suffering taxpayer.
In many other jurisdictions, presidential travel is regulated by strict policies that require presidents to use the presidential plane for official purposes. This is because in other countries such as the United States, presidents are obligated to reimburse the state if presidential planes are used for private business – these private matters include political campaigns and political fundraising events. .
Obviously, the richer countries whose benevolence we count on to come to our aid with COVID-19 vaccines, as our president begged the Germans a few days ago, are undoubtedly doing a lot better than us at ensure that taxpayer funds are not wasted to meet the needs of the population. lavish lifestyles of insensitive rulers.
According to our continuous monitoring, President Akufo-Addo still prefers to use VIP charter jets for his trips to Europe despite being in possession of the Ghanaian presidential aircraft – the Dassault Falcon 900-EXE which remains in pristine condition and can fly nonstop to all European destinations.
Since Ghana received President Kufuor ordered Falcon in 2010, President Mills and President Mahama have used the long-haul aircraft for all presidential travel.
Records show there were only two instances where the Ghana Air Force communications squadron requested alternative arrangements be made for President Mahama because the presidential plane was dispatched in France for routine maintenance. It is essential to stress that these two alternative arrangements were unmistakably modest and nothing compared to the obscene ostentation of taste of the current president.
Our latest oversight reveals that following public outrage over President Akufo-Addo’s frenzied expedition in May this year by opting for the world’s most expensive and extravagant private charter plane – the Airbus ACJ320neo which does not cost its customers less than £ 15,000 per hour to hire, it has since stayed away from that particular aircraft, and for very obvious reasons. This development may represent a rather modest victory for the Ghanaian people, one might choose to argue.
Despite this, I am sorry to disappoint you. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is unable to wean himself from his insatiable appetite for ultra-luxury charter jets at the expense of the ailing Ghanaian taxpayer. He remains completely impervious to the backlash and outcry from Ghanaians demanding that he live up to his own promise to protect public funds by using the presidential jet which is a much cheaper and safer option.
For his recent trips to the UK on July 27, 2021 to attend the World Education Summit and last week’s state visit to Germany, he flatly refused to travel on the presidential jet. Instead, it opted for another high-end VIP luxury charter jet specifically known to industry players as the Boeing 737-900ER BBJ3.
The Luxembourg-based aircraft is registered LX-DIO and operated by Global Jet Luxembourg. Its Manufacturer Serial Number (MSN) is 62515 with line number 5659.
The 19-seat luxury jet which has a HEX code 4D0213 is VIP configured, has 2 CFMI engines and was delivered to current operators in November 2015.
Very few luxury jets boast of its features. Its manufacturers claim that the cabin is divided into several sections to ensure exceptional comfort. It offers a VIP lounge for relaxation, five star dining rooms, a royal master bedroom, a cinema room specially designed for watching movies which is a separate accessory from other in-flight entertainment systems, and of course, like you. Correctly predicted it, with a luxury shower (apparently the bath in the sky continues unabated – all royalties go to the Minister of Defense, Nitiwul).
If our government deals directly with the LX-DIO operators, it costs the Ghanaian taxpayer at least $ 14,000 per hour. However, if our government leases the plane through brokers or intermediaries as it has gained notoriety in many industries, you should not be surprised that the Ghanaian taxpayer is charged between $ 18,000 and $ 22,000 per hour. .
Using the conservative rate of US $ 14,000 per hour, the two trips to the UK and Germany that require around 28 hours of round trip travel plus 13 additional hours of pickup and drop-off, the taxpayer again has was charged the colossal amount of US $ 574,000.00. At the current exchange rate, this represents 3.46 million Ghanaian cedis.
This inadmissible rape of public funds just to satisfy the comfort of a president who chooses to live in vulgar ostentation in a way that will make even Arab kings envious cannot continue. That is why I believe the time has come for this country to urgently formulate a presidential travel policy.
Either we have a presidential jet or we don’t. More so, the president’s reckless decision not to use the presidential plane which cost the Ghanaian taxpayer some US $ 37 million in purchase price under President Kufuor and which we continue to maintain at great cost to the Ghanaian taxpayer. while Her Excellency “Nana Showboy” circles the world in ultra luxury VIP charter planes at exorbitant fares can no longer be left to the discretion of an outrageous president and the few politicians around him.
This is truly shocking, I have to say that the Ghanaian people can be treated with such presidential contempt as the dust has yet to settle on the Airbus ACJ320neo-sky-bath-scandal now infamous for ministerial acrobatics at the Parliament just to cover the President and yet a leader who presents himself as the first protector of the public treasury confronts Ghanaians with such blatant intransigence.
Well, for her information, the battle for liability on the previous trip is not over; they were only saved by the bell momentarily because of the parliamentary recess. President Akufo-Addo can rest assured that this latest misconduct will also be subject to surgical review by the NDC Caucus in Parliament when the August Chamber resumes.
The Akufo-Addo / Bawumia administration must govern with conscience and with real sincerity. How can you ask the young protesters of #FixTheCountry, the frontline Covid healthcare workers, the organized labor including the restless members of UTAG, GNAT, NAGRAT, Senior Staff Association-University of Ghana (SSA -UoG), Federation of Universities Senior Staff Association, GMA and a host of the others to share the load and accept a meager 4% pay raise to be paid in installments and continue to indulge in such cruel and unnecessary extravaganza?
If the president has no use for Ghana’s presidential jet, he might as well sell it so that we can at least raise money to buy vaccines.
A National Presidential Travel Policy is a MUST and we need it NOW!
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