According to Sam George, Ken Ofori-Atta, as finance minister, has a faulty judgement when it comes to issues surrounding Ghana's economy, especially the ongoing International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout the country is seeking.
The MP was speaking on the back of the minister's statement that Ghana has made significant progress in the IMF bailout programme, despite initiating the process later compared to other countries like Chad, Zambia and Ethiopia who have been pursuing the deal for at least two years.
"We have literally broken all records with regard to this restructuring. I think we need to recognise and acknowledge that. We started on July 1 and we’re able to gain record time and get our SLA concluded, the domestic debt restructuring and Paris Club have already met twice, and we expect them to within the next few weeks to deliver their assurances.
“I think really we should we should be excited about how fast government has worked,” Ken Ofori-Atta said in a statement with Joy News.
But Sam George, speaking on the Good Morning Ghana Show on Metro TV opined that the claims said that the Ofori-Atta did not warrant a commendation he [Ofori-Atta] wanted from Ghanaians.
"Randy, I thought the Finance Minister was reckless and incompetent. Now I am clear in my mind that he is delusional. He is a delusional character. For him to suggest that he is worthy of some commendation and he's done something in record time. Randy, before you read the quote, I was going to say 'oh I agree with him' [that] we have set some records. Records could be positive or negative because we have for sure records that we have never seen in this country. This is our 17th time at the IMF. The previous 16 times, Randy, at no time have we had to go begging people to beg other people to beg people for us to qualify for an IMF programme. Even under military rulers when we have gone, it's not been this messy."
He added, "Now we don't even qualify to be with the IMF. We're begging the Germans to go and beg the Chinese. We begging the Paris Club and begging the Germans to go and talk to the Paris Club to..."
The legislator again blamed Ken Ofori-Atta for taking the country to a stage where the government cannot be bailed out and that’s the difference between being broke and bankrupt.
He told host, Randy Abbey, “…we are not even qualified to be called broke to be borrowed money, we are bankrupt. There is a difference between being broke and be bankrupt. If you are bankrupt, we can’t bail you out and that’s is where this delusional person has taken us to with the management of his economy. He still thinks that management of the economy is about wearing white and quoting the bible.”
He said the finance minister should not be taken seriously as anything he says is not exactly what he does which includes his statement that there won’t be a haircut, yet implemented it.
“Whatever Ken Ofori-Atta tells you; he means the opposite. He told Ghanaian people there will be no haircut and IMF. E are not just at the IMF, we are begging China, begging the Paris Club and begging everybody. That’s how messed up we are,” he added.
