Opportunity missed

Unless there are compelling and convincing reasons behind the Majority in Parliament's decision not to allow media coverage for the Bank of Ghana (BoG) Governor's engagement with the Committee of the Whole on Wednesday, we smell a futile attempt at concealing poor performance and irregular management of the economy at the hands of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

But for the foregone, what a golden opportunity to present to the good people of Ghana a wonderful performance in black and white by the John Mahama-led government.

For a government which has thrived on propaganda since assuming power, every effort must be marshalled to deny the public information about the true picture of its performance vis-à-vis the economy.

The so-called stability of the cedi, which the government has trumpeted for long now, is a cosmetic reality occasioned by the excessive pumping of foreign currency to achieve details.

The lazy and costly approach to stabilising the national currency has consequences which previous governments saw wisdom and avoided.

The questions which the Minority in Parliament sought to pose and to seek answers from the man in charge of the national kitty remain valid. The people of Ghana want answers to the unanswered questions directly from the horse's own mouth, not through a script.

There is good reason for this option and we support the Minority in applying one of the tools available to them under the circumstances – boycott of the proceedings. Of course sound bites are necessary in such matters. A leading NDC person has reportedly derided the Minority for seeking such bites for mischief. For us, such bites give credence to the reality in the face of excessive propaganda, euphemism for lies from government.

What are there to hide from the public if governance is up to scratch and above average?

The performance of government vis-à-vis management of the economy is critical and the citizens of this country must be truthfully apprised of the rating without propaganda or settings.

The media ban as achieved by the Majority in Parliament is a cover-up for sanction-able failings.

The Gold Purchasing Programme as originated by former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and its impact on the nation's gold reserve, including the matters arising such as the oddity in selling a large part of and buying same again, are interesting issues the people of Ghana must know.

Need we not know who bought the gold and now reselling to the government? Government does not want us to know, and therein lies the crux of the matter.

The Majority might have used their numbers to deflect these questions through a media ban, not so however information seeping to the public domain.

Credit for the dividends from Gold Purchasing Programme belongs to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the originator, the useless denial of which reality is an obsession of the NDC unproductive venture.

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