Government not living by ‘citizens not spectators’ mantra – Prof. Botchwey

Prof Botchwey says NPP govt is very vindictive

Government has failed - Botchwey

Government has lost credibility – Prof Botchwey

Former Finance Minister, Prof. Kwesi Botchwey has said that the government is not living by “be citizens not spectators” mantra used by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo when he assumed office.

According to him, the government was so intolerant of the views of other people that it will try to hurt any person who criticises it.

Prof Botchwey made these remarks at an Independence Day Lecture in Accra, disclosing that close relations even warned him not to criticise the government.

“These people are vindictive, and they’ll come after you if you criticise them, they said. I was quite dismayed and wondered if this was truly reflective of the public sentiment in our time.

“Or whether these friends had perhaps missed His Excellency the President’s exaltation to us in his inaugural address in 2017 to be citizens, not spectators, which exaltation I was sure he meant in earnest,” he said.

The former finance minister, however, said that the government has lost trustworthiness in the eye of multinational organizations because of its actions and inactions, adding that “our policies are no longer seen as credible in the face of the investor community.”

He indicated that the current economic hardships Ghanaians are facing is evident that the government has failed.

“The government is struggling to raise money locally and is accumulating arrears to several programmes; roads, school feeding, LEAP, even salaries … the exchange rate at the forex bureaus is nearing 8 cedis to the dollar. Fuel prices at the filling stations have crossed the GH¢8 per litre bar. Inflation is back in double-digits nearing about 15 percent,” he added.