National Economic Forum is a PR gimmick-NPP

Forum NPP

Forum NPP



Accra , May 12, GNA – Mr Paul Afoko, the National Chairman of the   New   Patriotic Party (NPP),   has described the National Economic Forum scheduled to begin tomorrow, as a public relations gimmick calculated by government to keep   Ghanaians in the dark about the true state of the economy.

He said information available to the party indicated that the NDC government had already adopted a set of reforms, which had already been presented to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) entitled, ‘Economic and Financial Policies for the Medium Term,’ dated 14th April 2014

Mr Afoko said this on Monday during a press conference on reasons for boycotting the National Economic Forum by the NPP.

He said the document which contained what the government described as ‘home grown policies,’ was formally submitted to the IMF during the recent Spring Meetings in Washington DC.

He wondered what inputs from the party and stakeholders would be used for when government had already presented its policies to the IMF.

He said the Economic Forum was only an attempt by government to create the platform to legitimize the proposals that had been agreed upon between government and the World Bank/IMF.

Mr Afoko also cited the late arrival of the party’s invitation as a show of lack of government’s desire to allow the party to adequately prepare so that it could make meaningful inputs.

He said the invitation letter which was dated May 2, was received last week Friday, May 9, for a programme scheduled for May 13

‘In spite of the short distance between the Flagstaff House and the NPP headquarters, it took more than one week for the letter to be hand delivered’.

‘This shows lack of seriousness on the part of government towards this important national exercise.”

He said government also failed to provide to the party base document for the forum, in order to let the party know the issues which would be deliberated on.

He expressed concern about the insults hurled at NPP members, especially Dr Mahamudu Bawumia when they voiced concerns about the state of the nation’s economy.

Mr Kwabena Adjei Agyepong, General Secretary of the NPP, said in other African countries like Nigeria and Kenya, base documents are submitted to political parties about three months before such fora take place.

 
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