Ace Ghanaian sports journalist, Bright Kankam Boadu has laid into Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and other spokespersons of the government who have cited laziness on the part of the Ghanaian youth as justification for the 10% withholding tax imposed on betting.
Kankam Boadu has questioned the moral temerity of Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and his ilk to accuse the youth of being lazy when the political class has, in his view created the conditions for the youth to idle about.
In a fiery outburst on Pure FM, Bright Kankam Boadu accused Ghanaian politicians of pushing the youth to the extreme end of life with their decisions and indecisions.
According to him, the youth have found solace and hope in betting due to the unavailability of jobs and other things needed to improve their lives.
While he will not endorse or denounce betting, Kankam Boadu asserts that Ghanaian politicians are responsible for the current conditions of the youth and therefore should allow the youth to embark on any legal activity that will ease their financial burden.
“Ghanaian youth are not lazy. If we are to assume that someone is lazy, then it’s our politicians. They are the laziest. They are not thinking and working, they are only chopping. That’s all they do. What do Ghanaian politicians offer us? They only eat and dress up for conferences at the expense of the nation.
“First of all, in all the advanced countries, people bet but because there are job opportunities, the youth don’t engage in it much. I will not approve or condemn betting but the unnecessary commentary being run by our people should stop. Let’s assume that there is no betting and the youth decided to look for jobs, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and the others should tell us where the jobs are.
“You are not creating jobs but criticizing the youth for being lazy. NABCo has now become a fiasco. Graduates have nowhere to go after school because there are no jobs in the country. The laziness is with the politicians. Ghanaians have voted for you to think and create jobs for people to work but you are not doing anything,” he said.
In an interview with Angel FM, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu backed the government's new tax policy, justifying that it will deter the youth from betting.
In his estimation, Ghana’s future is bleak with youth who are more interested in earning quick money than working hard for it.
“I don’t believe in betting. I don’t believe in luck. I believe in hard work and sweat to get money. Let’s be serious. As for me, I’m against betting coming into the country. I don’t support it because it doesn’t encourage hard work.”
“As an individual, I don’t engage in lottery because I don’t believe in that. I don’t believe in luck. Work hard so God will bless it.”
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