The Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr has called out the government over the demands for sacrifices from the Ghanaian people during the economic restructuring processes.
Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana, on Ghana’s Economy Recovery, Kwesi Pratt questioned the government’s track record in building the economy to ease the plight of the ordinary citizens for which it is demanding that more sacrifices are done to get the economy back on track.
To him, ordinary citizens are being burdened by the country’s economic challenges and need not sacrifice any further.
“Over the last 30 years, what industry have we built apart from the gas project and maybe a few others? There is a major driver of the economy, what have we done? A major driver of the economy and then you have messed us up like this and then you turn round, and you tell the people to make more sacrifices. As a matter of fact, many of our people cannot make sacrifices beyond suicide. The only sacrifice they can do is to take poison and die,” he said.
Continuing his lament, the seasoned journalist stressed that a significant portion of the population is unemployed which is a major concern governments over the years have not been successful in tackling.
“We have people who have been unemployed for 20 years, how do they make sacrifices? What are they going to sacrifice again apart from their very lives? You have people who earn GH¢300 a month, what sacrifices can they make again to call on people who earn GH¢300 a month to make sacrifices is to be exceedingly callous.
“If you are not a wicked person, if you are not extremely callous, how can you call on people who earn GH¢300 a month to be making sacrifices,” he continued.
Kwesi Pratt Jnr further described the government as insensitive in calling on persons who earn little salary a month to make sacrifices to support the economy.
Adding that these low-income earners are already stretched financially,
“Today, if you go to any of the markets in Accra, one okra is GH¢ 1.00, you have the nerves to call on people who buy okra one for GH¢ 1.00 to make sacrifices what do you want them to sacrifice again beyond their lives. Green pepper, one is GH¢ 10.00. Today, you can buy a ball of kenkey for GH¢ 5.00,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has urged Ghanaians to bear the policies and programs being implemented by the government to revive the economy.