The Bureau for Internal Affairs (BIA), an anti-corruption organization, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to as a matter of urgency, pay attention to agitations about the poor state of the economy.
A statement issued by Ms Cynthia Essandoh, Coordinator of BIA in Accra on Tuesday said the industrial action by workers and the recent agitation of traders as well as the current fuel crisis are signs that the citizenry are unhappy about the economy.
It mentioned the strikes by Ghana Union of Traders Association, University Teachers Association of Ghana, Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana and petitions by Small Scale Rice Dealers Association for government to introduce friendly policies to traders, as example.
The statement said the economic crisis has a huge negative impact on national life and asked government to act timely to stem the public protests associated with it, since it could escalate into national security threat.
It said the phenomenon is compelling the populace to withdraw the sympathy they use to have for the government.
The statement said the leadership of the country should act in a manner that shows that they are in power to help the poor by initiating pro-poor policies and other social interventions.
“Leadership is about service to mankind, not self aggrandizement, underhand dealings and amassing of wealth at the expense of the people,” the statement said.
The BIA says the economic crisis is affecting productivity, hence the need for requisite policies to reverse the situation.
“It is about time we trace the causes of our crisis and not wait for the situation to reach a level where we cannot control before we attend to them.”
BIA says it will continue to draw the attention of government to bad policies which do not serve the interest of Ghanaians.
The bureau is a centre for information gathering on public concerns with the aim of bridging the communication gap between the public and authorities on issues negatively affecting the nation.
Source: GNA