NDC's economic policy is paying judgment debt - Sammy Awuku

A Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammy Awuku has slammed the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) for its economic flaws, stating the party's economic policy was paying judgment debt.

Sammy Awuku who faced off with Felix Kwakye Fosu, a member of the government's Communications team, on Joy FM's Election Headquarters Wednesday lamented the poor state of the economy, which he said, recorded unprecedented levels of unemployment since the NDC took over power on January 7, 2009.

He noted that the country “recorded unprecedented reduction in inflation yet we've recorded unprecedented levels of unemployment,” stressing the President, John Mahama and Vice President Amissah-Arthur “cannot look Ghanaians in the face and tell them that they are better off today than they were in 2008.”

According to him, the NDC had no economic policy as a government unlike previous governments, saying “ask the Mahama-Amissah-Arthur administration and the Mills-Mahama administration, they will tell you that their economic policy is paying judgment debt. This is a government that is comfortable with paying and donating our monies to people who don't deserve it.”

Felix Kwakye Fosu rejected Sammy Awuku's claims, accusing the NPP of engaging in politics of personality attacks.

He said Ghanaians will disagree vehemently with allegations that their standards of living had not seen any improvement, citing “the hundreds of thousands of public sector workers who have benefited from astronomical increases in their salaries following the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure.”

He faulted the NPP of presiding over astronomical rate of inflation of 18.1 percent; and said “it is intolerable in any developing economy.”

Felix Kwakye said under the NDC government, interest rates had reduced significantly.

He was of the view that the rate of depreciation of the cedi had slowed down considerably over the last three months on account of pragmatic measures put in place by the government.

“Check the NPP's record between July of 2007 and December 2008, the cedi lost up to 40 percent of its value. When the NPP launched the new Ghana cedi, you needed 92peswas to get one dollar, by December 2008, you need GHc1:20peswas to obtain a dollar,” he said.

He urged Ghanaians to credit the Bank of Ghana with putting in place measures to slow down the depreciation of the cedi. Sammy Awuku replied, stating the government was “pretending as if they are doing something to keep the cedi floating.”

The Deputy Communications Director of the NPP said the promotion of Vice President Amissah-Arthur from the post of Governor to Vice President was “promoting an inefficient person to occupy a position that we intend getting hope from.”

He fingered him of being the chairman of the body that ensured that the Ghanaian cedi chalked its unprecedented decline and is in an embarrassing position.