Govt: Bawumia peddling untruths

The Government has accused Dr Mahamudu Bawumia of deliberately discrediting the achievements of the Mahama administration for “partisan gains”.

In a statement signed by Communication Minister, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, in response to recent claims by the running mate to Nana Akufo-Addo that the Mahama administration has not only wasted, but could also not account for most of the loans it has contracted, so far, the government said Dr Bawumia, after living in denial for many years, as far as the achievements of the Mahama administration is concerned, was now resorting to discrediting those laurels for political purposes.

“It is instructive that after years of living in denial that these projects exist, he has finally acknowledged their existence, except that he wants to tread down the path of discrediting them for partisan gain.

“Dr Bawumia’s latest untruth is only a last effort to create doubt about the unprecedented investment made in all sphere of our national life by President John Mahama’s government,” the statement said.

Apart from accusing government of mismanaging the country’s resources, Dr Bawumia – at a recent lecture at the University for Development Studies, Wa Campus, organised by the University Students Association of Ghana (USAG), on the theme: ‘The Role of Financial Discipline and Investment In National Development’ – said the government had failed to account for $30 billion of loans contracted. He also gave six reasons for which he said Ghanaians should reject what is contained in the government’s Accounting to the People book.

According to him, government has borrowed an equivalent of $37 billion but spent only $7 billion, which raises questions over the whereabouts of the balance of $30 billion.

“First, if you sum the cost of all the loan-financed projects listed in the Green Book (even including those with artistic impressions), it is less than $7 billion. Meanwhile, the government has borrowed the equivalent of $37 billion, so, where is the rest of the money?” he questioned.

He estimated the total borrowed funds within the past seven years to be GHS90 billion. This is an increase from an initial GHS9.5 billion in 2009 to GHS99 billion currently, which is equivalent to $37 billion, he said.

He challenged the government to come clean on the expenditure of the $30 billion, which he feels has not been accounted for.

“Indeed, given the resources at its disposal, one should expect at least four times the quantum of investment that the NDC claims to have undertaken,” Dr Bawumia said.