President Mills lied about the economy – Minority MPs

Minority Members of Parliament are accusing the President of peddling untruths and about the true state of the nation’s economy to the world without substantial evidence.

The MPs are of the opinion that the comments of the President on the world stage are a recipe for disaster in terms of the investment portfolio of the country.

The Minority Members of Parliament made this known at a press conference at the headquarters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Accra.

President John Mills in a radio interview on the BBC “Africa have, your say” programme accused the erstwhile Kufuor administration of deceiving Ghanaians on the true state of the nation’s economy which he said was bad.

In an interview on Citi Prime News, the Minority Spokesperson on Communications, Hon Nana Akomea who addressed the press conference said, it was unfair for President Mills to have made unsubstantiated remarks concerning the management of the nation’s economy by saying members of the previous administration had looted the economy.

According to him, President Mills, who is the highest spokesperson for the country, erred in making such comments in the United Kingdom, which according to him is the single largest investment source in Europe.

He pointed out that President Mills should have painted a “realistic and true picture” of the true state of the nation’s economy.  

Hon Akomea noted that the President could have mentioned among other things such positive points as the 7.3 percent real growth rate of the nation’s economy for the 2008 fiscal year which was the highest recorded in the country since 1978.

He also mentioned the fact that the President could have highlighted the economy’s growth from 3.7 billion in 2000 to 17 billion in 2008.

Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa in response however said he “amazed” by the position of the NPP MPs and noted that the president’s submission of the BBC programme were simply “facts and the truth which you cannot dispute”.

He noted that it was a fact that economy that was inherited by the Atta Mills government was “in shambles” and had double the debt stock it inherited in 2000.

Mr Ablakwa also noted that the fact that inflation had been pegged at 18.1 percent by December 2008 and also that the cedi had depreciated by 31 percent was enough evidence to substantiate the President’s comments.

He added what was important was President’s commitment to stabilising the national economy by cutting out profligate expenditure and running a lean government.

By: Philip Kofi Ashon/citifmonline.com