Wontumi calls on Obama, others to help Mahama

Ashanti Regional Chairman of NPP, Bernard Antwi Boasiako popularly known as Chairman Wontumi is calling on the United States President Barrack Obama and his western allies to as a matter of urgency intervene in Ghana’s worsening economic management, explaining that the Mahama-led NDC administration is clueless in terms of rescuing the country’s declining economy.

Chairman Wontumi said the IMF has taken the initiative and called on individual Western leaders and their countries to offer special assistance in the same regard.

In a statement issued in Accra and copied to the Media, Chairman Wontumi likened current government policies of the NDC to the deadly Ebola virus, saying Ghanaians are being “killed” economically and politically by the insensitive, harsh and inhuman economic arrangements of President John Dramani Mahama, hence called on President Obama and his western partners to assist Ghana

The statement from Chairman Wontumi was in reaction to a recent statement by the American President that his country shall be partnering West African Countries to curb the spread of the Ebola virus.

He appealed to the US President, the UK Prime Minister David Cameron, UN secretary General Ban Ki Moon and other western powers to see Ghana’s current economic mismanagement as a clear case of economic disaster similar to the Ebola outbreak, which deserve global attention and assistance to remedy. Chairman Wontumi commented on specific sectors of the economy which he believed were worsening by the day as per below:

Health & Environment

Chairman Wontumi explained that, government’s failure to effectively manage waste in the country has generally contributed to the vast insanitary conditions in Ghana today, resulting in the outbreak of Cholera, which has so far infected more than 5,000 persons in Greater Accra alone and killed approximately 50 persons as at mid-August (According to Dr. Linda Van Otoo). The Ashanti regional Chairman said reports by the Korle-Bu Polyclinic that their facilities are over stretched thus unable to cope with average reported cases of about 70 infections daily makes the situation even more alarming and therefore requires international assistance to curb.

Touching on the deadly Ebola disease itself, Chairman Wontumi said although Ghanaians are being made to understand that the virus has not entered the country yet, he has serious doubt about the government’s integrity in that regard, saying some credible high profile health personnel have hinted that the disease is already in the country.

He, therefore, called on the international powers led by President Obama to persuade President Mahama to exhibit sincerity and honesty in telling the people of Ghana the actual state of the disease in the country in order to inform an appropriate policy response to deal with the menace.

Without any attempt to cause unnecessary fear and panic, the NPP kingpin also expressed worry that the NDC government has until now not been able to complete the construction of Isolation Centers in all 10 regional hospitals in readiness for a possible outbreak.

Roads

On Road Infrastructure, Chairman Wontumi said a recent fear expressed by a member of the Ghana Road Fund, Prof. Mohammed Salifu, that the state of the country's already bad road networks could further deteriorate if the sector does not receive the needed attention in the next three to four years is, in his opinion, a further demonstration that the Mahama-led NDC administration is not only misappropriating the fund meant to rehabilitate and maintain existing roads, but has misplaced priorities and is continually loosing focus on the development needs of the country.

“No wonder the roads have become death traps for our passengers, resulting in massive carnage on our roads these days," he stated

Education

Touching on education, the NPP youngest regional chairman described as untrue a recent claim by a deputy minister of education in charge of tertiary education, Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, that education standards in Ghana were improving, explaining that the latest Global Competitiveness Report from the World Economic Forum (which in his view was more credible than Okudjeto’s assertion) has clearly stated that Ghana’s educational standards are falling below international standards.

Chairman Wontumi said the survey conducted among some 144 countries across the world ranked Ghana among the top 50 with quality management in schools and placed 52 among the 144 on quality mathematics and science education, but placed 38 from bottom, coming 106 on tertiary education enrollment. The report further said, “Ghana must do more to develop and deploy talent in the country," adding that education levels continue to fall in the country.

Energy

On Ghana’s current Energy situation in terms of electricity, Chairman Wontumi noted that several businesses are folding up today as a result, and this is leading to high job losses compounding the unemployment situation and invariably also leading to loss of revenue to the state and private organizations.

Wontumi said contrary to expectations and assurances from the NDC and President Mahama, the energy situation keeps worsening by the minute. The petroleum sector is another disappointment, reporting acute shortages intermittently, thus negatively affecting productivity.

Agriculture

In the Agric. Sector, chairman Wontumi noted that promises the National Democratic Congress made in its manifesto in the run-up to the 2012 elections, including the modernization of agriculture, as well as ensuring that living standards of farmers are improved have ended up being just mere rhetoric.

Policies that would spur on agricultural growth have not been implemented.

Growth in the agricultural sector, under this government, dropped from 7.2% in 2009 to 5.3% in 2010. In 2011 agricultural growth hit an all-time low of 0.8%, and could only increase by a meager percentage to 1.3% in 2012.

The imposition of taxes on agricultural implements, unreliable supply of inputs to farmers, the politicization of the mass cocoa spraying exercise, and insufficient budgetary allocation have all contributed to the dwindling fortunes of Ghana’s agricultural sector.

In conclusion, Chairman Wontumi said it’s very clear that the Environment, Health, Energy, Agriculture, Roads and education sectors among others are seriously infected by the NDC’s “Ebola economic virus” thus “killing” innocent and unsuspecting Ghanaians.

Several other sectors of the economy are suffering similar mismanagement and therefore reiterated his personal plea to the western leaders especially President Barrack Obama to offer the country, assistance to fight not only the deadly Ebola Virus but also assist the incompetent NDC administration to solve the myriad of harsh self-inflicted economic policies until such a time, possibly in 2017 that an NPP led government, hopefully under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo gains the people’s mandate and come to their rescue.

“If you are assisting Guinea, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Nigeria and Liberia to fight the deadly Ebola virus kindly remember to help Ghana also out of the NDC inflicted “Economic Ebola” virus” Chairman Wontumi pleaded.