Pensioners must not be worse off by government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme- Razak Kojo

Accra-Ghana, May 8, GNA – Mr Razak Kojo Opoku, a member of the New Patriotic Party has stated that Ghanaian voters will mark the scripts of the NPP, the NDC, other opposition political parties and independent Presidential candidates on 7th December 2024.
“Which party and candidate will be able to secure the pass mark of 50%+1 with majority in Parliament in the 2024 general election”?
In a press statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Monday, he said there was the need for more work to be done to merit the approval of the Ghanaian voters.
“The floating Ghanaian voter is not like Party’s Delegate or Foot soldier who will be with the party whether wrong or right and whether good or bad largely due to blind loyalty, where personal interest takes supremacy over national interest”.
He said winning 2024 was not by mouth, but by evidence of work done across all sectors measured by what was promised by the government compared to the delivery of the government in changing or transforming the lives of the Ghanaian people.
“The ruling government has done well in some aspects and equally failed in some areas which some Ghanaians are not happy with the government.
“The inability of the ruling government to perform will definitely undermine the chances of NPP from getting the 50%+1 pass mark.
“It is out of naivety to downplay the chances of the NDC ahead of the 2024 general elections”.
The statement said the NDC lost 2016 elections with 44.6 per cent and deficit of 63 Parliamentary seats. Within four years they came back strongly to attain 47. 36% with 137 Members of Parliament (Hung Parliament for the first time since 4th Republican Constitution).
“The NDC subsequently defeated NPP in Parliament with the election of Speaker Alban Bagbin as the Speaker of Parliament”.
It said ahead of 2024 elections, the ruling government and party had a lot of work to do if indeed they were serious to cross the 8-year cycle of change of government since 1992.
“The ruling NPP should be advised not to put all their hopes on the $3 billion IMF loan as the panacea for winning the 2024 elections because all the money will not hit the account of Ghana before the 2024 elections.
“We have to be guided by 2015 IMF deal secured by John Mahama. The NDC then thought that with the IMF deal the 2016 was a done deal for them, but we all are aware the massive humiliating defeat they suffered in our hands in the 2016 general election”.
The statement said Ghanaian voters were becoming more conscious, critical, sophisticated, concerned, discerning and rational with their evaluations and judgments.
“The Akufo-Addo’s Government really needs to be more serious and improve its performance to the satisfaction of the Ghanaian voters before the 2024 elections. Moving forward, there is the urgent need for the Government to daily and frequently consult the Party’s hierarchy before taking any major economic decision”.
It said the Government and Ministry of Finance should not be allowed to singlehandedly make economic decisions especially imposition of Nuisance Taxes and the ongoing Domestic Debt Exchange Programme(DDEP) under the difficult economic situation in the Country.
“The Domestic Debt Exchange Programme(DDEP) affecting the Funds of Pensioners (that is, Pension Fund) in my candid opinion is not a good decision by the Government and the Ministry of Finance. It is important that, Government takes the welfare of Pensioners seriously because majority of the Country’s Pensioners are part of the vulnerable group in Society”.