My comments were misinterpreted – Spio Garbrah

Ekwow Spio Garbrah, a presidential candidate hopeful of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has said a comment he made to the effect that the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) is managing the economy better the National Democratic NDC did, has been misconstrued.

The former Minister of Trade under the John Mahama administration had told Accra-based Starr FM in an interview that: “On the law and order issue, they are very low, on trying to deal with the macro-economy in terms of just bringing the numbers down; inflation rate, deficits etc, they are doing better than the NDC had done.

“On sloganeering, they do very well with capturing words that will catch your attention, implementation; quiet weak, infrastructure, we haven’t seen anything yet.

“This Fourth Republic, we started off with 8-year government, Ghanaians got used to 8 years under President Rawlings and Kufour but unfortunately the death of President Mills created an instant one-term type scenario for President Mills and I believe that particular incident made it easier for Ghanaians to shorten the 8-year that President Mahama would have enjoyed, to a 4-year term. President Mills became a one-term President and President Mahama as well.”

Asked if that was going to be the same for President Akufo-Addo, he said: “It will be a one-term for the current President as well.”

But he believes his comment has been misinterpreted by a section of the Ghanaian media to mislead the public.

He said: “Misleading and inaccurate headline!! I cited specifically NPP’s better performance with regards to inflation and the budget deficit—these are facts—, but then to note that just those two variables do NOT constitute an “economy” so the headline that “ NPP is doing [better] than NDC in managing the economy” and attributed to me which some media houses are running, is inaccurate,” he said.

He added: “I have not said anywhere that the NPP is doing better than NDC in managing the economy. For example, the NPP is at least GH? 2 billion short in revenue generation; has seen a slippage in the exchange rate, including frequent shortages of dollars on the open market; NPP has been unable to pay various categories of workers on time; to tame increases in the prices of fuel and utilities; and they have done very little to create jobs and generate employment; or to diversify the economy. So the headline is deliberately twisted and we shall respond to it...”