Debt Exchange: The UN Ambassador of Peace calls on all traditional rulers, statesmen to intervene
The United Nations Ambassador for Peace, Dr Samuel Owusu has appealed to all traditional rulers, former Presidents, and Pastors to intervene to resolve the tension that has arisen following the introduction of the Domestic Debt Exchange programme.
He called for a national consensus on debt restructuring and how to deal with the country’s economic difficulties.
“I call on all traditional authorities and all statesmen to intervene in the Restructuring program of the debt and the current economic situation.
“The country’s total debt is GHS575billion. If you divide GHS575 billion by 30.8 million Ghanaians, that means each Ghaiana has a debt of 13,000 Cedis,” he said.
His comments came at a time when scores of Ghanaians including pensioners have rejected inclusion in the debt swap.
For example, Former Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo joined a group of pensioners to picket the Ministry of Finance in Accra on Friday, February 10.
Speaking to reporters, he said: “These are all people who have worked, they worked hard, they may have left the country when others left, but still, they worked for the country.
“We have experienced ups and downs. Most of us are from a generation where we are encouraged to save for tomorrow and all that. We have gone through a time where all the savings became nonsense because of some government policies, then over the years, bit by bit, people have become more confident in the economy and investment.
“A lot of people here now, when they retired two years ago, they have put everything into government bonds, it’s a contract and now suddenly, you want, at gunpoint, to force them to agree with you that they pay back from the results of the investment that should be as dictated. Why?”
He further criticized the government for not being able to implement the loans it had taken over the years.
“Why are we bothering ourselves? No one fully explains, yes debt, what is it used for? and where is the responsibility? What exactly is it for? You don’t tell me how you can make it better, but it’s just ‘help me and I help you’, no, you help yourself first, let’s see you do something serious because we’ve seen this kind of thing. about too much.
“Now I am more than 70 years old, I am no longer a government employee, my mouth has been ignored and I have spoken and said that we have failed and it is important that the elderly should be respected. I find it bad, I find it rude, I find it invalid, I find it totally wrong.
The pensioners have been picketing the Ministry since Monday, February 6 to be released from the Programme.
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana
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