Konadu Apraku, Kobby Acheampong slug it out on the economy

A former Trade Minister under the Kufour regime has accused the NDC government of pursuing policies that have plunged the country into an economic crisis.

Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku says the NDC government has failed to fulfill many of the promises it made in the run up to the 2008 elections. According to Dr. Apraku, the NDC has misplaced its priorities; a situation which is costing the nation dearly.

“If I were in the NDC government, if I had resources to allocate, I would not go and buy those air force jets because I would have done the Accra-Kumasi road.” He made these comments in an interview with Moro Awudu on Breakfast XYZ.

He said even though he believes that the military should be retooled, the priority should be on making sure that the Kumasi road, which is the most important road in the country is fixed on time.

He is of the view that building such important road networks are the most prudent economic decisions that every government should make, saying “government has the responsibility to allocate those resources to meet the best possible needs.

Dr. Konadu Apraku says the electorates will vote the NDC out of power in December because of its poor handling of judgment debts.

“You go and pay judgement debts to people who have forgotten about those debts,” he said, adding “that money should have gone to finish our road. It would have made an impact on this country,” he lamented.

According to Dr. Apraku, Ghanaian electorates have a moral responsibility to bring the government down and seek answers as to why the state’s money was used in that manner.

But Deputy Interior Minister Kobby Acheampong says Mr Apraku’s claims are false and unbecoming of someone who has been in government before.

“I am very disappointed in him… We have this problem in this country where so-called intellectuals go on radio programmes and begin to mislead the whole country with regards to certain statements they make,” he said.

Mr. Acheampong argued that all past governments in the country have incurred and paid judgement debts and thus it is mischievous for the NDC government to be singled out for blame.

He denied accusations that the government has polarized the military and infiltrated the security services with party foot-soldiers saying the process of recruitment into the services have been fair and transparent.