Dean of the School of Communication Studies, at the Wisconsin International University College, Professor Kwame Karikari, has jabbed government over its profligate spending on the political class.
And that as a country if we continue to waste money on politicians as seen by successive governments, the majority of the populace will continue to be beneath the poverty ladder. And the government’s vision of “Ghana beyond Aid” would be a mirage.
He noted that the gargantuan expenditure on appointees, parliamentarians and other instructions like the Council of State and some traditional leaders is just outrageous.
To mention but a few, their salaries, rent allowances, the fleet of cars at the Presidency, the ministries, per diems from frequent travels. As if that is not enough, the cost of maintenance of these vehicles, cost of fuels by all appointees, cost of utility bills has bedeviled the country over the years.
Addressing the media and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on the “Assessment of Key Commitments and Policy Propositions of the NPP Government on Fiscal Transparency and Accountability Measures by the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), Prof. Karikari underscored the “cry” of government on the wage bill.
According to him, usually, the government turns its attention to civil servants of being the cause and obviously forgetting the expenses it does on politicians.
He made reference to a loan facility that was secured by the Parliamentary Service from the Societe General Ghana (SGG) Limited with the Government of Ghana as the Guarantor – a credit facility of $22.5 million (approximately GHC96.3 million) for the purchase of official vehicles for all the 275 Members of Parliament (MPs). This was in 2017.
He quizzed: “Why won’t people in politics walk and exhibit modest life in their day-to-day activities? And why is it that if I'm a laborer who stands and wins elections and enters into government or Parliament, I must drive in a V8 whilst I was a labourer I could not purchase a bicycle?”
And that countries like Denmark, Sweden and the even UK where we go borrowing to run our economy, that is not the way their politicians waste money. In those countries, he explained further that cars are only bought for the Prime Minister and the opposition leaders. MPs buy their own vehicles.
Therefore, he urged the media and Civil Society Organizations to keep the government in check.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Patrick Ofoe Nudzi