Managing Director of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has expressed exasperation at the constant pointing of accusing fingers by both the ruling National Democratic Congress and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) at each other over the issue of which of them privatized more state assets, pointing that privatization of these state assets have not in any way been beneficial to Ghanaians.
Speaking as a panelist on Radio Gold’s Alhaji and Alhaji programme, the social commentator who sought to link the issue of divestiture with the call by some section of the public for a reduction in taxes, explained that as long as the state is not engaged in production which could enable “surplus value to be plowed back into other areas of development,” taxes cannot be reduced.
“How do we reduce the taxes when the state itself is not engaged in production? When the state itself is not accumulating surplus value which it can then plow back into dev’t? So there’s an obvious contradiction which needs to be resolved. And this brings us to the issue of privatization of state enterprises…In all honesty, I’m getting fed up with all these competition between the NDC and NPP; who sold more, who sold less; you started it, you continued and so on. The point is that privatization of state enterprises has not worked in the interest of the masses of Ghana,” he contended.
Cataloguing a long list of divested state enterprises including the Tema Ship Yard and Dry Dock, the Jute Factory, Ghana Airways, amongst others to buttress his point, the Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper could not fathom why the country is importing match sticks after more than fifty years of independence.
“We’re now importing matches for lighting cigarettes and lighting fires. What is the magic about the production of matches, a small stick with a sulphur tip?” he quizzed.
With particular reference to the sale of Ghana Airways assets, a clearly incensed Kwesi Pratt Jnr questioned the temerity of some cronies of government who he claimed bought some of these properties and have not fully settled their indebtedness to the state, yet, openly heap abuses at the Mills’ administration which is trying to put the nation back on track economically.
“…Through a combination of policy measures and so-on, we managed to cripple these state enterprises and then you bought them…We sold it to activists who have not even paid yet and have the effrontery every day to be shouting abuses at those who are struggling to manage the economy as a result of their own misbehavior…it is clearly unacceptable!” he seethed with rage.
The outspoken socialist openly voiced his opposition to any attempt to privatize the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) saying it is not the solution to the numerous problems that have plagued the refinery. He argues that if proper accounting is done, the country needs not even be paying the TOR debt.
“…I am firmly opposed to any suggestion that the Tema Oil Refinery needs to be divested as a way of dealing with the problems that confront the oil refinery. It is not a solution, it’ll never be a solution and that is not the way to go!...Indeed going into proper accounting of the revenue generated by the TOR Debt Recovery Levy, we need not be paying the TOR Debt today,” Kwesi Pratt said.
