Accra, July 21, (JoyOnline) -- The Chief Executive of the Planning Committee of Ghana’s Golden Jubilee Independence Celebration says the 20 million dollar budget is justified.
Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobbey told a local radio station, JOYFM, that the amount approved by Parliament is appropriate considering the prepartions required for the celebrations.
He said discussions on the issue should be devoid of partisan politics.
Parliament has approved a minimum amount of 182.9 billion cedis for the celebration of Ghana’s Golden Jubilee Independence Anniversary.
Some minority MPs raised concerns about the figure saying it was too huge considering the challenges facing the nation.
Some members of the public have also raised concerns about the figure saying, the government should not be spending that much considering the current prevailing harsh economic conditions.
But in a reaction, Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobbey expressed surprise at why people are raising the queries. he said those arguemnets are untenable.
We reproduce a transcript of the interview aired live on JOY Midday News.
Wereko-Brobbey: We were all here 10 years ago when the party in opposition celebrated the 40th anniversary of Ghana’s independence. Poverty was very high then, it was higher than now. I would want us all to critically examine how much was spent on the 40th anniversary celebrations 10 years ago and whether we believe the 40th anniversary compared to the 50th anniversary, which is more important and which is more deserving of celebration. So I don’t want to get into discussions about a number.
Matilda: Are you suggesting that the same number we are talking about today was invested or perhaps more?
Wereko-Brobbey: I think it was perhaps more. I’m checking on the figures and I will make it available but the fundamental point I’m making is that let us not in this country reduce all our major discussions about our major events to figures, dollars or cents.
Matilda: The issues of figures decide. You’ve got Polytechnic teachers for instance who are on strike, the government is saying it cannot raise 15 billion cedis. They’ve been on strike for 3 months. How can you justify the expenditure of a 182 billion cedis to a Polytechnic teacher?
Wereko-Brobbey: I haven’t heard the government say it cannot afford 15 billion so you really need to set your question in the context of which government minister said it. I don’t recall that. Let me go back to the fundamental point I’m making. You know if somebody is going to sit down and say that these are the things we should spend our money on; did anybody question the amount of money we spent on the Black Stars. I see if you go and look into it critically, it is probably more than this.
Matilda: I’m glad that you brought this up. The Black Stars funding was predominantly, from the private sector… interruption
Wereko-Brobbey: It is not true it is the private sector
Wereko-Brobbey: How much money do you know the government of Ghana spent on the Black Stars so that we put this whole discussion into perspective?
Weerko-Brobbey: It is more than 20 million dollars, I can assure you. Has anybody questioned how much we are spending on stadia and related preparations towards CAN 2008? I can assure you it is considerably more. Let me give an example of some of the things we are talking about. We are 50 years into this country’s life, if I told you that the city of Accra has not got public toilets of any decent description and that a lot of this money is going to go into actually providing public toilets in the city of Accra, in our regional capital cities, in the tourists sites that we are inviting people too come and see, in sweeping Accra. We should begin to understand that we are not having parties with the 182 billion. Some body ought to ask a simple basic question what the expenditure is for.
Matilda: So perhaps you can tell us then. Sir what specifically is 182 billion cedis going to be used for in preparation of this anniversary?
Wereko-Brobbey: There are 31 major tourists’ sites in this country, only 5 of them have got public toilets. If you drive along here and our major capitals to Kumasi, in Zimbabwe, I have been there several times on the high ways every 4 km, there is a public urinal. These are the kind of things you spent the money on. There’s a Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and such important monuments that must be screwed up, where I am sitting right now in the Black Stars square, people should come and examine the state of that facility and whether it’s fit for visitors to our country to look at those things. If we believe and as I think we do that it is important that as Africa’s first independent country, that we must celebrate the 50th years and we must do so by putting our best foot forward and given a befitting environment.
Matilda: You talk about the fact that there will be toilet facilities in the tourism site. I’m not sure but I imagine that the tourism budget would have made provision for that. But even if they haven’t done that you told us which areas we are going to invest the money in. We are also told from the estimates in parliament that a fleet of vehicles will be bought, can you tell us how many of its kind?
Wereko-Brobbey: Matilda, stop being disingenuous. Don’t start off by saying you thought the tourism budget would have done that. You asked me what the money is being used for. I have told you what the money is being used for
Matilda: Can you tell me whether the money is going to be used for buying cars, how many cars, what kind of cars?
Matilda: Look, we are inviting Heads of State to visit this country. We are also hosting the next summit of the African Union of Heads of State. These are all events that are going to bring people of the caliber of Heads of State or equivalent. Clearly, we cannot put them in trotro. It is not the first time in this country we are hosting this. We’ve hosted the 55th OAU Summit; we’ve hosted the 1991 Non- Aligned Movement. That particular event was executed under the Head of Stateship of President Rawlings. No body questioned the need to provide facilities and infrastructure that gives you the kind of respect and puts you on the map because of the kind of caliber of people you are dealing with. Let us not reduce all these stories to point scoring and ‘ahoyayesm’ (his creation to connote envy). I don’t really want to get into that business.
Matilda: The visitors who would come to Ghana are already aware that we are a poor country. Should we be striving and falling over ourselves to try and please them just because we have an important anniversary that important people are attending?
Wereko-Borbbey: Matilda, you are being disingenuous again. Sorry. Gambia has just hosted an AU Summit and I wish you could have gone and found out what Gambia, far poorer than us, the facilities they laid on for the Heads of State, 99.99 per cent of those coming are not Heads of State. Now if you are going to tell me, with all your elucidation and education, providing a toilet for the pubic use, is an extravagant expenditure, I’m sorry; we are talking a different language
Matilda: I don’t know if you quite get me. These are questions that have been raised by people. For the ordinary Ghanaian who thinks a government is in power, if you like, to make their lives better, who cannot for some reason see their lives getting better; these are genuine questions that people are asking. Are you saying that they don’t have the right to ask those questions?
Wereko-Brobbey: I didn’t say you don’t have the right to ask those questions. But I think I also have the right to answer your questions in the way that I think is best.
