The Executive Director of IMANI Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe\u00a0has described the government\u2019s response to concerns raised by the #OccupyFlagstaffHouse protestors as a replica of the President\u2019s state of the nation address.<\/p>\n
\u201cListening to the whole statement, there wasn\u2019t much difference between the President\u2019s state of the nation address and then the budget which has been obviously uninspiring,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr. Cudjoe remarked that the response was an \u201cexercise in futility and it shouldn\u2019t have been done in the first place and it will never really address anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
The government on Tuesday organized a press conference to respond to the concerns listed in the petition submitted to the Presidency by the #OccupyFlagstaffHouse protestors.<\/p>\n
The group staged a demonstration on Ghana\u2019s Republic Day, July 1, to protest against the economic hardships which have burdened Ghanaians and adversely affecting businesses.<\/p>\n
The group also demanded that the government should take urgent steps to prosecute persons indicted in the various corruption scandals which have rocked the country.<\/p>\n
A deputy Information Minister, Felix Kwakye-Ofosu promised that the \u2018Better Ghana Agenda\u2019 of the government will surely be delivered despite the challenges.<\/p>\n
But Mr. Cudjoe who was among the protestors discounted assertions that they are preaching gloom and doom because Ghanaians are not responsible for the \u201cbad Forex rules, the escalating prices of everything, GYEEDA, SUBAH, SADA and all the corruption that are flying all over.\u201d<\/p>\n
He indicated that a summation of all the corrupt dealings which have rocked the nation will come to a total of about GHC 3 billion \u201cand that money could have done a lot more for the people of this country.\u201d<\/p>\n
The IMANI boss insisted that the government response \u201cwas not well thought through\u2026<\/span>it was like a propaganda piece of material without any proper business accounting.\u201d<\/p>\n He urged the government to discuss and address the challenges facing the country critically devoid of \u201call the insults.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI felt really insulted to be told that all these bad things that have happened to the economy is because some of us preach doom,\u201d he complained.<\/p>\n Mr. Cudjoe pointed out that the response<\/span> failed to include some vital issues such as the Forex rules, taxes, corruption, labour<\/span> agitations and a host of others.<\/p>\n \u201cThe major issues; the elephant in the room were not addressed<\/span>\u2026<\/span>this is not what I want the central bank to be focusing on now,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By: Efua Idan Osam\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
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