....on Innocent Hajj Pilgrims

Last week, the Hajj committee announced that it has maintained the 2014 Hajj fare at US $3450 . According to the head of the National Hajj Committee , Alhaji Abdul Rauf Tanko , the committee decided to maintain last years’ US $3450 because the just ended Hajj conference in Saudi Arabia did not make any substantial changes to last year’s arrangement that could have affected the fare. However, the Hajj committee failed to inform prospective pilgrims and the general public why they have to pay over 32million old cedis more when the fare has not been increased in dollar tem.

In 2013, the Hajj fare was US $3450 which was equivalent to GHS 68million old cedis at an exchange rate of US $1 = 1.97cedis. It is worrying to note however that, though the 2014 Hajj fare remains unchanged (US $3450) in dollar term, its equivalent value in cedis has ballooned to 100million old cedis at an exchange rate of $1= 2.8cedis.Within a space of a year, the cedi has depreciated so dramatically that, pilgrims will have to pay 32 milliion old cedis more than what they paid last year for the same value of dollars.
It is worth mentioning that from 2009 to 2014, the Hajj fares has increased marginally from US $3000 in 2009 to US $3450 in 2014. This represents 13% increment in five years and an annual average increment of 2.6%. However, due to the gross inefficiency and incompetence of the Mahama led NDC government to effectively stabilize the cedis against major currencies, the Ghanaian pilgrim is paying more than his compatriots in other countries.
It is clear from the above statistics that, though the Hajj fare has increased only slightly in a space of five years, its equivalent value in cedis has increased by more than a 100 % within the same time frame. If this trend continues unabated, the average Ghanaian pilgrim will have to pay through his nose to be able to perform Hajj in the next five years.
Ironically the economic management team from 2009 to date, has been headed by President John Mahama and Vice President Amisah Arthur, a supposed authority in economics and monetary policy and a former governor of the bank of Ghana. Mr Amissah Arthur was also a part of the Jerry John Rawlings NDC that brought the cedi to its knees. It is therefore not surprising that the cedi is again under his watch in an almost irredeemable free fall.
Again, the intransigence of the Mahama led NDC to accept constructive criticism even in the face of glaring cluelessness on their part is nauseating. Dr Mahmud Bawumia, a renowned authority in monitory policy, Fitch, a financial rating institution and standard chartered bank criticized the measures put in place by the Governor of Bank of Ghana to halt the cedi depreciation and proffered remedial measures only for the the government to disregard the proposed solutions and continue on the road to destruction. Time has vindicated their position, but unfortunately it is now the thousands of innocent pilgrims that have to bear the consequence of the Presidents incompetence.
More worrisome is the fact that the general living conditions of the Ghanaian has worsened over the past few years. Almost on a weekly basis, the Ghanaian pays more on utilities food ,shelter , transportation etc. With all these hardships , coupled with these exorbitant charges, how does the government expect Muslims to embark on this pilgrimage, which is a pillar central to the Islamic faith.
Going forward, the Hajj board should go beyond mere announcement of Hajj fares via press statements. It should in its future engagements, make public the detailed financial analysis on the causes of increase in Hajj fares together with a comprehensive breakdown of services to be rendered to pilgrims vis-a – vis the cost implications for the benefit of the public and for greater transparency and accountability.
Again the government should come clean on the nature of sponsorships it gives to Muslim pilgrims. What is known is that , but for the few hundreds of party foot soldiers that receive sponsorships from the public purse , every other pilgrim bears the full cost which covers all their expenses including airfare, feeding, accommodation and administrative charges.
It doesn’t get worse than this for the impoverished poor . Ghana certainly deserves better

Samudeen Mustapha
samudeens@yahoo.co.uk
0245112753.