AFAG’S Actions Are Ridiculous

They must be suffering from immense frustration!!!!

PRESS STATEMENT.

Fellow Countrymen, the NDC- Youth Activist Network (YAN), a political action group of the NDC whose mission is to champion the course of equality, freedom, and accountability and to emphasize the primacy of political action and economic determinism wishes to express its disappointment and profound dismay in the NPP and their allies for their attempt to make the country ungovernable for the NDC and deprecate the hard won international image which has placed Ghana on the ladder as the best country in Africa as judged by Foreign Policy's Online Annual Index of the United States think-tank, and an independent research organization released on Wednesday 15th July, 2009. The indicators that informed their judgment included human rights, security and economic status.

The NPP as a result of the unexpected defeat in the 2008 general elections has allowed themselves into servitude in the Kingdom of desperation, which has continuously characterized and guided their actions. Before the Ministerial vetting a group calling itself AFAG of NPP, which unfortunately lacks the moral authority to identify itself with the NPP, because it lacked a sense of originality, brought out some various allegations against the Ministerial nominees at the time. The content of this frivolous allegations are hitherto not a matter of concern to Y.A.N but rather the purpose and intent. Those allegations like all their acts of desperation were uncalculatedly baseless and uninformed. None of those allegations stood the test of time during the Ministerial vetting `since its veracity could not be established.

AFAG petitioned the President on various issues which included a call for the revocation of the Foreign Minister Alhaji Mumuni’s appointment, they also called on the president to reduce school fees which has gone up by 18%, reduce petroleum prices which has gone up by 30% and the fact that they think the NDC has failed by not implementing its campaign promises made in the NDC 2008 Manifesto. These we see as an unfortunate attempt by AFAG and their NPP to throw dust into the eyes of discerning Ghanaians and create apathy and dispassion towards the NDC government. Meanwhile, they are aware that prevailing conditions in the country gives no better standard of living to Ghanaians than this bold step by government to permanently ameliorate the petroleum crises.

On 28th of June 2009 AFAG had a press conference, which we the members of Y.A.N see as not only baseless but completely unnecessary and unacceptable. This press conference sought to state that the Government increased salaries by about 18% yet inflation is around 20.74% which makes it unrealistic and for that matter the government is insentive. Fellow Countrymen, since when did it become economically wise to march the rate of salary increment to inflation? What if inflation drops to about 2% does it mean that workers should have 2% increment in their salaries? I hope AFAG has lost its sense of analysis and does not care about the welfare of Ghanaians other than that how can you compare the rate of salary increment to the rate of inflation?

They also cited incidence of profligate spending on the part of government by stating that ¢ 2,800,000,000 was spent on transitional team allowance. It is very exceptionally outrageous how these people can take Ghanaians for granted. We must be emphatic and place on record that the Chairman, Mr. P.V Obeng took GH¢ 2,250; two supporting staff took GH¢ 1,800 each (GH¢ 3,600); seven sub-committee chairmen took GH¢ 1,800 each (GH¢ 12,600) and 141 members of the team also took GH¢ 1,350 each (GH¢ 190,350) bringing the total amount to GH¢ 208, 800 for 10wks (2.5 months) of transition work. Assuming any of the members were doing their various jobs, obviously they would have been earning more than GH¢ 675 a month and that was without any other allowance not even transport allowance. This is purely a commitment to austerity.

The allegation that GH¢ 10 billion was spent on Obama’s visit is a blatant, baseless and a completely irresponsible lie. This amount can build 8 Presidential Palace and is $9.2 billion more than the World Bank loan of $535 million. Fellow countrymen, is this possible?

The allegation that the state is not providing adequate protection to citizens is absolutely preposterous and unimaginable when crime statistics states that crime such as murder, rape, defilement, robbery, narcotics, heroine and cocaine has reduced by 11, 36, 3, 56, 26, 3 and 19 respectively. Check Appendix for details. These emphasizes that crime has generally reduced drastically.

It was also alleged that, the IMF loan of $535 million had killer conditionalities that state that there should be full cost recovery for tertiary education which has led to an increase in academic facility user fee (AFUF), removal of subsidy from electricity and water bills. This is an unfortunate deceit on the part of AFAG, we don’t think this group should be given any regard of any sort. In a news release from the World Bank dated 30th June, 2009 Ishac Diwan, Country Director of World Bank stated clearly and we quote: it is important to stress that there are no externally imposed conditionalities. These are actions the government has decided to undertake in order to ensure fiscal prudence. The internal commitments of the Ghanaian Government were as follows:

• Publishing fiscal accounts with less than one quarter lad.

• Reconstituting the boards of energy related regulatory utilities and authorities.

• Extending the Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) beneficiaries and reviewing the effectiveness of the pro-poor expenditures. These conditions are pro-poor than all the conditions of any loan the NPP contracted in the 8 years of their rule. Source: www.worldbank.org/Ghana

The University of Ghana has denied that they have redrawn admission letters sent to graduate students with admission fee of GH¢ 300 and replace it with GH¢ 3000 admission fee. This is utterly absurd, is the NPP so desperate to make the government unpopular? That they can even lie against the nation’s premier university, where they acquired their so-called knowledge.

Fellow Countrymen, it is important we place on record that in 2006/2007 academic year, the academic facility user fee (AFUF) was increased by 68.7% and this was one of our demands during the ‘YA BRE MO’ Demonstration in April, 2007, as if that was not enough, in 2007/2008 academic year, the AFUF was increased by another 33% followed by 30% in 2008/2009. The AFUF for all public universities for 2009/2010 ranges from GH¢ 209 to GH¢ 312 and this is 18% increment, the NPP have never heard. Indeed the fees of 2009/2010 was decided and approved by a University Council appointed by the NPP government, since the new University Councils were inaugurated in mid-June this year.

In 2001 petroleum prices were astronomically increased to about 64.3% in the first 100 days when they had inherited a TOR debt of about ¢2.7 trillion as compared to the NDC inheriting a TOR debt of ¢11trillion and reducing fuel prices by 5% and later increasing it by 10%, hence a net increase of about 5% in 100 days. Fellow Countrymen, this is all in the face of when the NPP had collected ¢7.2 trillion for TOR Debt Recovery Levy, which by simple Mathematics could have been able to pay for debt in 2001 and prevent further accumulation of debt.

It is also important to place on record that the NDC’s sensitivity to the economic woes of Ghanaians is better than that of the NPP. This is because in 2001 by the first 100 days there was an imposition of 15% and 12% tax on gross profit of all financial institutions and all other business enterprises respectively. There was also a 5% import duty slapped on materials such as cutlasses, hoes and fishing gears, all these were nonexistent before the NPP assumed office in 2001 and the NDC has not done such imposition from January. There was also a 150% increase in airport taxes as opposed to 50% increase in 2009.

It is clear that there is a grand scheme by the NPP to discredit the NDC Government, despite the fact that these actions are necessary to test the strength of our democracy; it is also intellectually insulting to Ghanaians, not to mention their NPP fanatics. For instance, Former President Kufour stating that the situation in Ghana is like a coup d’état was used to change government, is rather unfortunate.

Fellow Ghanaians, what has Kufour been denied of in this country, apart from the illegal possession of the bullet proof cars meant for the presidency and the illegal acquisition of an office, which due procedure is being used to rectify. This acts purely indicate that the NPP and their former government officials are AFRAID OF ACCOUNTABILITY and for that matter any attempt to hold them accountable makes them feel like in hell fire or in a coup d’état situation.

The Youth Activist Network of the NDC is the last group to condemn any acts that seem to exercise the fundamental human rights of people to agitate and demand for social justice and their welfare. However, it is clear that the agenda the NPP wants to push with this demonstration is to create chaos and anarchy. As a short reminder, Nana Akuffo-Addo some few weeks ago stated that the situation leaves them with no choice than to use militancy.

Indeed AFAG is a brain-child of Nana Akuffo-Addo and has his cousin D.M. Ofori-Attah as one of their Spokespersons, so if today AFAG says it is demonstrating because of the above stated baseless and unfortunate lies and deceit it shouldn’t be surprising.

Fellow countrymen, colleagues of the NDC and those of the NPP, it is very important to note that when you make this country ungovernable, obviously it will become uninhabitable and you may become a refugee of some bodies land. But an advice to the NPP is that the earlier they wake up from their desperation the better for them. In fact whether they like it or not they would be held accountable for their stewardship. Long live accountability!! Long live believers in accountability!!!!! Long live Ghana!!!!!!

Signed: Otokunor Boamah Peter (Chief Spokesperson) 0276902003

CRIME STATISTICS

JANUARY- MAY 2004 –2009

OFFENCE YEAR JAN-MAY JAN-MAY JAN-MAY JAN-MAY JAN-MAY JAN-MAY

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 MURDER 189 172 153 184 194 183

RAPE 286 212 279 429 228 192

DEFILEMENT 820 719 963 1470 678 675

ROBBERY 309 502 564 677 591 535

NARCOTICS 197 185 170 249 301 275

HEROINE 10 16 20 22 4 1

COCAINE 17 22 26 30 24 5

INDIAN HEMP 170 147 124 197 273 269

Source: ministry of interior