Dr Onsy Nathaniel Kwame Nkrumah Jnr, son of the late Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first democratically elected president of Ghana, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to listen to the concerns of Ghanaians with regards to the country’s opting for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout.
Dr. Nkrumah’s call was contained in his second open letter to Mr. Mahama.
It would be recalled that Dr. Nkrumah barely two weeks ago, wrote an open letter to President Mahama informing him about how dangerous an IMF bailout would be for Ghana’s unborn generations.
In his current letter a copy of which was sent to DAILY GUIDE, Dr Nkrumah noted, “The president seemed too busy globe-trotting to have time to respond or to address concerned Ghanaians on such a desperately important subject of mortgaging Ghana to the IMF for the sake of short-term bailout, which will adversely affect every living Ghanaian, directly or indirectly now and for years and generations to come. The image of Esau selling his birth-right to Jacob in return of a bowl of lentil soup comes to mind.”
The government has held a series of negotiations with the IMF over a possible bailout for the country.
Mr. Mahama has revealed that the IMF bailout, expected to salvage Ghana from its current economic crisis, would begin in January 2015.
According to the president, the IMF and the World Bank would collaborate to ensure a sustainable growth path for Ghana’s economy.
Dr. Nkrumah stated that “The Finance Minister and his deputy regretted that the largest credit rating agency – Standard &Poor – have downgraded the credit worthiness and rating of Ghana as a borrower and the minister asserted that this would soon be reversed, in an attempt to re-assure our suffering Ghanaian public.”
He noted, “Well, that downgrade should have come as no surprise to any simple person who has eyes to see or ears to hear.”
Such Country Credit Downgrade, he observed, “was only to be expected for starters, as more downgrades and downturns and more hardships will surely follow as night follows day, specially after we get properly shackled in our straight jacket with heavy chains round our ankles to keep us on our knees in a submissive begging position. “
Dr. Onsy Nkrumah stated in the letter, “I have advised other African governments before and I am volunteering my free advice to Ghana, but nobody is home to receive it. President Mahama seems always to be too busy to see anybody in Ghana or even abroad as I can say from personal experience.
“If President Mahama chooses to ignore my sincere advice and others who have relevant knowledge and experience or to engage in a meaningful debate with worried Ghanaians to find the best available alternatives to committing such an IMF suicide, then at least I feel that I would have tried my best to offer my help and would have cleared my conscience before God and Ghana, before the inevitable dire consequences take place,” according to Dr. Nkrumah.
“This is my second open letter and will be my last open public appeal to President Mahama, if he and his government do not respond in a positive way, in which case I may be forced to address our Ghanaian people to look for better solutions to go FORWARD out of this mess into a brighter future,” he added.
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