A Deputy Minister of Trades and Industry, Dr Stephen Amoah, says the Minority’s demand of the Central Bank’s Governor to resign in 21 days is not surprising because the governing New Patriotic Party would have done the same if they were in opposition.
He says the country has to move away from the trend where either of the two parties only acknowledge wrongdoing when they’re in opposition and not in government.
Speaking on Joy News’ AM Show, the Deputy Minister said Ghana needs a new paradigm shift that will make leaders agree to common practices and accept realities when it comes to certain situations and circumstances.
“And for my brothers in NDC, what they’re doing, NPP would’ve done same and I think we need to advise the two parties, enough is enough of what NDC and NPP will do when one is in government.
“We should have a new paradigm shift that can let us accept common practices and the reality when it comes to policies and some of these issues,” he explained.
According to him, the report released by the Bank of Ghana does not suggest wrongdoing on their part if one really understands the technicalities of financial issues.
He said until a thorough probe shows any culpability on the part of the central bank, one cannot fault them beyond what their report has revealed.
“In the first place, the concerns they’re raising seek the exposure of BoG, and they’ve come out to explain and anybody that really understands those things technically will know.”
“Unless you go deeper and further to come out with your own materiality and other pieces of information that will let BoG’s explanation for the exposure or the negative equity to be false, these are the honest analyses,” he said.
He added that this loss is not one that happened overnight, adding that it is an accumulation over the years, and the minority NDC has to be honest with Ghanaians on that.
“These are honest analyses we should all make in this context.”
“BoG even came out to say that all these issues did not just happen today, it’s an accumulated issue that has been going on for so many years,” Dr Amoah said.
The Deputy Minister, who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Nyhiaeso in the Ashanti Region, also said that there are three factors or conditions that could result in the suspension of fiscal policies and rules and one of them is a health pandemic.
He mentioned that during these inevitable conditions that pose danger to human lives, certain risks and decisions are taken, and that is a fact the minority already knows.
“One of them is war, second one is natural disaster, and the third one is health pandemic and this is a fact, so you cannot compare peace times to war times in terms of control.”
“If your child has a convulsion, the time that the child has to be taken to the hospital, I don’t think that’s the time you’ll go through the regular route, even if the family’s policies are to take the child to Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital or first go a see a church elder, you don’t do that.”
“You take resuscitation measures, so let us analyse these things in a certain context and advise appropriately,” he explained.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, in a press conference criticized the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr Ernest Addison for his poor management and reckless decisions in the financial sector of the country.
The NDC thus called on the Governor and his Deputies to resign within 21 days starting from Tuesday, August 8, 2023.
The party is determined to picket the Central Bank if the Governor decides not to resign within the given number of days.
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