Policy think tank IMANI Ghana has a diabolic agenda against Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the vice-presidential nominee of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), hence the spirited attacks on the economic lecture he delivered last week, the Movement for the Kingdom Image (MFKI) has said.
Dr Bawumia delivered a lecture on ‘The State of the Ghanaian Economy – A Foundation of Concrete or Straw’ at the National Theatre, where he said among other things that: “By the end of 2008, following the adoption and implementation of the HIPC initiative, the government’s policy framework of fiscal discipline, the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio had declined from 189% in 2000 to 32% of GDP by 2008. Indeed from independence in 1957 to 2008, Ghana’s total debt was 9.5 billion cedis. However, in the last seven years alone, under this NDC government, Ghana’s total debt has ballooned from GHS99.5 billion to GHS100billion in 2015, and GHS105 billion by May 2016. In fact, 66 per cent of Ghana’s debt from independence has been accumulated under the presidency of John Mahama in just the last three and half years.”
Soon after the lecture, IMANI Ghana, through its President Franklin Cudjoe, said Dr Bawumia “unfairly interpreted” some data for “partisan advantage”.
But the MFKI has in a statement signed by its president, Osempakani Kaakyire Kofi, said: “It was a great shock to us, the Movement for the Kingdom Image (MFKI), a Christian group, to hear the consistent condemnation and attacks on the running mate of the NPP Dr Mahamudu Bawumia by the political think tank IMANI Ghana after his recent lecture on the state of the economy of Ghana.
“We were also highly disappointed in IMANI Ghana to hear them describe Dr Bawumia’s lecture as political rather than a reality or otherwise academic. In the first place Dr Bawumia is a politician and you don’t expect him to give such lectures without ending up by making the sitting government unpopular per his lectures and we think that is normal.
“Again, this is not the first time a politician is saying something that ends up favouring his political party, but why has IMANI been quiet on those times but now attacking Bawumia’s lectures only to kill its effect.”
The statement added: “IMANI Ghana was in Ghana when President Mahama went to parliament for the State of the Nation address and turned the place into a political platform instead of telling the reality on the ground, but no IMANI [official] came out with attacks and condemnations. Where was IMANI when the Speaker of parliament threw the Minority petition to probe the president’s Ford saga out after inviting MPs to the house? Was that also not political?
“Moreover, where were IMANI Ghana when Finance Minister Seth Terkper, delivering the state of the economy address, turned to praising his government for an excellent performance? While Ghanaians were crying over hardship, instead of the Minister of state to speak for the people, he was doing politics with the economy.
“The Movement for the Kingdom Image wants to tell IMANI Ghana to serve the interests of Ghana instead of doing the bidding of a politician or political party. If Ghana needs peace, the peace won’t come from the firmament; rather it comes from us the people. So, let’s all deal with it and not serve our selfish interests. We are disappointed in IMANI Ghana for the unfair treatment being directed at Dr Bawumia.”
