General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, says President Akufo-Addo should show some humility and heed the advice to downsize his government.
According to him, it is very arrogant on the part of the President and the government to impose ‘haircuts’ on the citizenry and investor community but fail to impose same ‘haircuts’ on his administration size.
He noted that concerns about the size of government which have been raised by the Minority, civil society organisations and the diplomatic community and have largely fallen on deaf ears portrays arrogance on the part of government even while on its knees.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, he described the President as “a beggar with choice” and urged him to do something about the size of his government.
“Stop the arrogance relating for example, about the refusal to cut down your government, because that is a solution. Do something about the size of your government. The fact that we even have a situation where with all this crisis, with the country suffering haircuts, the President and his government does not want to have what we call a government haircut is a tragedy, because that’s what you want to do.
“That’s what for example the German ambassador will tell you, that you are coming to us pleading for us to help you to be able to have debt forgiveness . But you are keeping size of government that in our countries that you expect our taxpayers’ money to be used to help you we do not keep. Then the President arrogantly tells them that they should not meddle in Ghana’s issue, a beggar with a choice.
“You’re on your knees begging for help and you still have the arrogance to be able to speak the way you do. Show some humility, go on your knees and show that you’re really in trouble and ask for help and stop showing the arrogance that you’re showing. So that’s an area that the President and his government should be able to do something. Do something about the size of your government,” he said.
Fifi Kwetey said the Minority in parliament have been directed to fully oppose the approval of the President’s Ministerial candidates till he downsizes his government.
He expressed optimism that despite the voting going to be by secret ballot, his MPs, cognisant of the economic challenges the country is in, and the plight of the average Ghanaian will vote against any Minister nominee till the President acts on his government’s size.
