Only willfully blind won’t appreciate 2012 budget - Haruna

The Minister of Communications, Haruna Idrissu, has refuted the numerous tags the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has put on the 2012 government’s financial statement, insisting that the budget is a “progressive” one.

He said the budget statement is a true reflection of the achievements of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government on various fronts and also what the government intends to do for the country in 2012, adding that under the three-year rule of NDC, “there is an improvement in the living standards of Ghanaians”.

“I believe and maintain that only the willfully blind, who will not appreciate that this budget is a progressive one, and it is only the willfully blind, who will not appreciate that this budget creates a lot of space for the private sector growth and deeper participation in the building of our economy, and it is only the willfully blind, who will point out to World Bank, IMF and make assumptions that do not exist.”

The NPP Minority in Parliament have described the budget statement presented by the Finance Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, on Wednesday as ‘propaganda’ ‘recycled promises’ , ‘bye-bye’, or an ‘empty’ budget.

But Haruna Iddrisu speaking on Joy FM's Newsfile Saturday, retorted: “I think that it is important that the minority recognizes that a budget statement does projections, it gives us an estimate of revenue and expenditure and what government will deliver. And what we are saying is that we are managing the economy better, micro economic indicators are very, very progressive and very encouraging.”

He maintained that in terms of fiscal consolidation, the government’s economic management team and the Finance Ministry have done considerably well to improve the micro economic indicators of the country.

For instance, he said, the NPP in its eight-year rule, “struggled” but could not meet the criteria for the West African Monetary Zone’s single currency – ECO. “It is only under this administration that the four major criteria have been met, including sustainability of single digit inflation for the longest period of our country’s history.”

But a member of the communications team of the New Patriotic Party, Yaw Buabeng Asamoah, rubbished the achievements of the government as touted by Haruna Iddrisu.

He said government claims of bringing inflation to single digit does not reflect what is on the ground, saying “demand has been killed” and people are not able to buy due to poor governance.

Touching on the $3 billion Chinese loan government intends to use for massive infrastructural development, Mr. Asamoah was emphatic that the loan will never come to Ghana, describing the government’s effort to secure the loan as a “hoax”.

He explained: “The finance minister can’t sign that loan because he needs the consent of the IMF which he hasn’t got.”



From: Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Isaac Essel
http://politics.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201111/76781.php

That was a "bye-bye budget" - Minority Leader

The Minority Leader in Parliament, Hon Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has pooh-poohed the 2012 budget statement presented by the Finance Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, saying the statement that is supposed to give hope to Ghanaians is ironically, the one to see the NDC out of government.

The 2012 financial statement delivered on Wednesday to Parliament was themed: “Infrastructural Development for Accelerated Growth and Job Creation.”

According Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, Ghanaians should expect to see massive infrastructure development, job creation and sustained economic growth next year. Government also intends to increase its revenue mobilization - for instance, mining companies will be paying more – with oil revenue remaining an important component of the country’s revenue targets.

Dr Duffuor also highlighted some achievements of the NDC government over the past year.

"Madam Speaker, we promised Ghanaians a better Ghana and we have significantly delivered on this promise; we promised to remove schools under trees and we are very much on course; we promised to remove inequities in incomes through the single spine and we are very much on course; we promised to move the economy from fragility to robustness, yes we have; we promised to significantly expand the economy and we have; we promised to arrest inflation, yes we have…”

As usual, this budget has been greeted with a partisan approach, while Dr Duffuor thinks the achievements he enumerated give the government confidence that in the coming years, Ghanaians can continue to trust the NDC government to faithfully steer the affairs of our dear nation, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and his colleagues in the minority strongly think otherwise.

“Clearly, we have come a full cycle, and we’ve realised that anko yie (it didn’t go well); yenhu so (all is not well), ya'setenamu no ansesa (our lives were not bettered), and to me [it is] bye-bye budget," Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu told Joy FM's Bernard Saibu.

The Minority was the least moved by the enumerated achievements, and also, very much doubted what the budget holds for the nation.

By that conviction, he told Joy News: “To me it is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

Although he admitted that the government in 2011 has “done a bit” like the construction of schools “that should translate into good results. What did we see?”

He was highly suspicious of claims by the government to stimulate and generate employment, because, according to him, the manufacturing industry which is expected to play that role “is collapsing”.

K.T Hammond, Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa, re-echoed the position of his Minority Leader, saying the statement did not sound like a budget to him, adding “I hope it is the last budget” for the ruling NDC party.


From: Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Isaac Essel
http://politics.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201111/76603.php