'Ghanaians behave like we're sick; we live above our paycheck' - Nana Ofori Owusu

Aspiring National Chairman of the Progressive People's Party (PPP), Nana Ofori Owusu has expressed concern over the filing fee for Presidential primaries of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Presidential aspirants in the NDC are expected by the party's National Executive Council (NEC) to pay an amount of GHc 20,000 to pick nomination forms and additional GHC 400,000 as filing fee.

Some of the aspirants have expressed dissenting views over this whopping amount.

Founder of the party, Ex-President Jerry John Rawlings has also raised red flags over the decision by the NEC saying "I doubt if anyone of us who has served with integrity, relying on our salaries can raise these filing fees unless we engaged in some unethical behaviour while in office; Unless we abused or misused our positions during our tenure".

Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' pogramme on Monday, Nana Ofori Owusu also wondered how the party expects some Presidential aspirants to cough up such huge amount of money as filing fee in order to contest the race in January next year.

He stated that the NDC matter shouldn't be treated only as a party issue but rather a nationalistic one because it reflects the behaviour and lifestyle of Ghanaians.

According to him, Ghanaians behave like "we're sick" because "we live above our paycheck".

He noted that the NDC filing fee feeds into his assertion that people don't live within their means and it's therefore a recipe for corruption.

Nana Ofori Owusu explained that looking at what people earn as salary; one may wonder how possible they’re able to live such extravagant lifestyles.

“In Ghana here, we continue to live above our lifestyle. We live above our paycheck. Now, we call ourselves magicians . . . You can create all the institutions of State to combat corruption but if the people don’t see anything wrong with daily activities of corruption, then we will know that we’re moving in the wrong direction in the wrong tangent,” he stressed.

“We’re sick . . . We, as a people, where is our moral compass? Where is our accountability compass?” he questioned.

To him, the tax records of the Presidential aspirants should be checked to avoid the lavish spending and lifestyle of people whose expenditures exceed their income.