Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has been advised to desist from using Bible quotations and rather concentrate on fixing the economy with practical solutions, as his approach of religious verses is not the solution Ghanaian are calling for.
The advice was given by entrepreneur and politician P.V Boateng Dadson in Kumasi while responding to government's Debt Exchange Programme asannounced by the finance ministry.
Speaking on EIB Network's English radio Ultimate FM in Kumasi, Mr. Dadson said there is the need for thought-through process to be adopted in dealing with the country’s economic crises that the holier than thou attitude has been adopted now by the finance minister .
“Simply put the Debt Exchange Programme Ofori Atta is talking about is that government is saying I cannot pay you according to the terms we agreed on our bonds so now from 2023, 2024 which is 5% and so on and so forth.
“We don’t solve economic problems with bible quotations, I am sorry I don’t want to use harsh words on Ken Ofori-Atta, the man is simply out of way. He has become a social disorder for this country. Why do you solve these things with bible quotation, what kind of nonsense is that?” he asked
“You created this mess you have no way of solving it and you are there giving us Bible quotations. When he was running this country into a ditch, where was the Bible quotation?” he questioned.
“People who have invested in government bonds are not going to get their interest and the principal as agreed in the original terms and the sad thing is that the government is not showing respect to the investors whether they are local or foreign”
“Ken must stop using words interchangeably to gloss over the real situation we find ourselves in and be honest with the people”
Mr. Dadson is questioning the government position of establishing Financial Stability Fund (FSB) to provide liquidity support to banks, insurance companies, pension funds fund managers and collective investment schemes to ensure they are able to meet their obligation to their clients as they fall due.
“You owe people you can’t pay, where are you going to get money to finance this? Either the Finance Minister or the government doesn’t understand what is going on in the country or they have no idea about what is going on.
"The Financial Stability Fund is rubbish, you debt has reached sustainable level so who will be willing to come and join you”, he wondered.