Okyere Baafi addresses traders on E-Levy
Government urged to go to the IMF
The Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini, has expressed shock and disbelief at the untruthful that were peddled by a colleague MP of his on the New Patriotic Party (NPP) side on the infamous E-Levy.
Michael Okyere Baafi, who is the MP for New Juaben South, was captured in a viral video engaging with some members of his constituency, where he made a number of comments on the Electronic Transaction Levy, calling on the people to support it.
Among other things, he told the people gathered that if the E-Levy be rejected, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would ask the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government to cancel the Free SHS policy.
“Let us all support the E-Levy because there is one thing we haven’t said and that is should we go to the IMF, they will ask Nana Akufo-Addo to cancel the Free SHS. That will mean that your children will no longer be able to continue their education.
TWI NEWS
“I am a Member of Parliament and everyone: NDC and NPP MPs have all given their support to the bill. The NDC MPs have told us that they know when the E-Levy is passed, it will be beneficial to all of them but they cannot openly declare it and so the NDC people have told us to do whatever it takes to pass the E-Levy. So, please, let’s all support this so it benefits all of us,” he said in Twi and translated to English.
But reacting to the video on the Tuesday, February 15, 2022, edition of Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV and monitored by GhanaWeb, Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini said he least expected that lowly propaganda from Okyere Baafi.
“I am scandalized that… goodness me. You know sometimes, we have opponents and you know what your opponent is capable of doing: you have members of the NPP that you know what they are capable of doing and you have others that you know they are above certain utterances and conduct. Hon. Baafi, but till now, would have passed for me as one who was above the shameless and repulsive propaganda of the NPP.
“I would never have expected him; I know a lot of them who engage in such shameless and very repulsive propaganda but I never for once thought that he would stoop that low. This is just unthinkable,” he said.
He also expressed even deeper shock at the claim by the New Juaben South MP that the Free SHS could suffer if the government go to the IMF, adding that this is only another height of dishonesty.
“For goodness’ sake, how will the World Bank tell President Akufo-Addo to cancel Free SHS? How? Usually what they do, and especially coming from our past experience, we go with our own program and then you discuss with them where you want to do cuts in. already, the finance minister has told us they are cutting expenditure by 20%, that’s what we have been telling them to do,” he added.
Too perplexed at all that Michael Okyere Baafi said, Alhassan Suhuyini questioned if this is an indication that the NPP has now become a party of no honest people or angels.
“So, there’s no angel in the NPP? There’s no honest person? I’m shocked that he’d be part of that level of dishonesty. Everybody has seen our position and the risks that some of us have taken to make sure that our position reflects when the matter of the E-Levy is tabled on the floor. Many of our colleagues have to abandon their constituencies and stay in Accra just to keep watch over the E-Levy,” he said.
The E-Levy is still yet to be tabled again in parliament for approval many sittings after the House resumed this year.
