Harsh economic decisions necessary to save nation from collapse
President John Dramani Mahama has said that the harsh economic decisions taken so far by the government are necessary to save the nation from collapse.
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"While these measures have been a bitter pill to swallow, the alternative of doing nothing will cause an economic meltdown and even more suffering for our people," he explained.
The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) recently increased the prices of petroleum products while the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission (PURC) also increased water and electricity tariffs but it was not clear whether they are among the harsh decisions mentioned by the President.
Addressing the National House of Chiefs (NHC) in Kumasi yesterday, President Mahama expressed the hope that the sacrifices the people had made would start bearing fruits soon.
"This year is a turn-around year. We will begin to feel the effects of the economic recovery by the end of the year," he said.
While calling on Ghanaians to believe in themselves, he said the economic recovery period could even be shorter if the can-do spirit permeated the very fabric of society.
Development partners
Mr Mahama expressed disappointment in the country's development partners for abandoning the country to its fate at the time efforts were being made to address the economic challenges confronting the citizens.
"It is during challenging times that one needs his or her friends," he said, and added that unfortunately Ghana's friends had not been responsive to the home-grown fiscal consolidation policy.
The President, however, indicated that that development would not deter the government from working hard to put the country back on track.
He called on the people to avoid sitting on the sidelines and criticising and rather join hands with the government in its efforts at overcoming the challenges confronting the country.
"Let's get to work. The time for talking is over. Let’s no longer talk about what we intend to do. Just do it," he said.
“This is not the first time Ghana has gone through such economic difficulties. We have overcome similar challenges before and we will rise again," he added.
As part of the measures to resuscitate the economy, the President said, the Senchi Economic Forum report was being finalised and would soon be unveiled.
Chieftaincy disputes
President Mahama spoke about chieftaincy disputes which had remained a threat to national peace and security.
He said the government was working hard to strengthen the judicial committees of the various houses of chiefs to enable them to expeditiously tackle matters that came before them.
He condemned the recent murder of the Bimbilla Naa and some of his elders and gave an assurance that the government was taking steps to bring the perpetrators to face the full rigours of the law.
President Mahama presented 13 Nissan Pick-Up vehicles to the National House of Chiefs. Each of the 10 regional houses of Chiefs will receive a vehicle.
The President of the NHC, Wulugu Naba Pugansoa, Naa Prof John S. Nabila, advised Ghanaians not to lose hope because of the economic difficulties and expressed the hope that with hard work, they would be resolved.
He assured the President of the support of chiefs in that regard.
He called for improved budgetary allocation to chiefs to enable them to deliver effectively.
Naa Nabila also appealed to striking polytechnic teachers to reconsider their action and urged the government to sit down with them to resolve their differences.