PDS saga is policy crisis - Ivor Greenstreet

Mr Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, the 2016 Flag bearer of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), has described the issues about the Power Distribution Service (PDS) deal as policy crisis that needs rethink of the economic direction.

“The PDS saga is a true policy crisis, which, beyond threat, fraud and disappointment, provides an opportunity for rethinking the fundamental economic direction of the country,” Mr Greenstreet said in a press statement issued in Accra.

The flagbearer argued that the situation was an opportunity to “Reclaim Ghana” based on a strategic mobilisation of the Ghanaian spirit and all her competitive advantages.

“Instead of always hyping economic growth that only benefits a few, what we need rather is a strategy of growth which galvanizes the society within terms of new approaches to growth such as the Developmental State, which would expand the economy for the welfare of all and improve the standard of living for all Ghanaians in a meaningful way,” Mr Greestreet stated, adding “we need a Development Economy, a Development State and a Development Constitution.”

He stressed on the need to focus on the quality and gross sum of economic growth, explaining that Ghana sold Ashanti Goldfields, Ghana Telecom and other strategic state assets under fire-house conditions, but could not perpetuate that practice.

"We cannot continue this way. ECG must not be sold, contracted out or devalued in any other way under firehouse conditions. Is VRA next? If not for the partial nationalization of Ashanti Goldfields by the then Head of State, Colonel Acheampong, based on a firm policy of mobilising Ghanaian opinion for capturing the commanding heights, would there have been anything for Rawlings to sell later?

“Why sell your prized assets?” Mr Greenstreet queried.

He explained that South Korea, China and India, with fast growing economies, implemented carefully interventionist policies, and elsewhere in East Asia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and other countries had various forms of state led intervention policy directions that were applied in different ways to suit their individual circumstances.

Mr Greenstreet said Ghana could do similarly, if it really wanted to “reclaim Ghana” and make the promise of “Beyond Aid” more meaningful. “We have the mental capacity to collectively think outside the box, Ghana can make it,” the CPP 2016 Flagbearer said adding that “coming from the Nkrumahist party, I support the Beyond Aid argument in broad strokes.

“It is a logical outcome of the necessary fight against neo-colonial imperialism especially when it is tactically construed to include; a rights based approach to Development which recognizes the righting of historical injustice,” he said. He called on Ghanaians to take the President Nana Akufo-Addo’s invitation to assume active citizenship seriously, announcing that, he had already begun a process of strategic conversations, strategic scenarios, strategic solutions and strategic planning towards contributing to the thought bank for acquisition of the features of a winning nation.

“The time has come for us to critically discuss the meaning of our political and economic citizenship seriously.

It should not just be a matter of transferring state assets to private Ghanaian hands. I stand for the working of our achieved commonwealth into broad and equitable welfare...we have to reclaim Ghana,” Mr Greenstreet said.