Mumuni Bashes NPP Over Workers Predicament

A former Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, has criticized the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government for "making life unbearable" for the working people of Ghana through regressive tax regimes.

According to him, workers of this country continue to suffer under the Kufuor administration, because the tax system as it operates now is not worker-friendly.

In an interview with The Enquirer over the weekend, Alhaji Mumuni, who was the former Employment and Social Welfare Minister during the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) regime, noted that eventhough, the new minimum wage (13,500) is a commendable effort, it falls far shot of the living wage, adding that the 50% increase in petroleum products, has eroded any positive impact that the new increments may bring about.

He observed that since the NPP government took office in 2001, the purchasing power of workers continues to diminish at a very fast rate. This, he said, is seriously affecting the poor. According to the former opposition NDC Vice-Presidential Candidate (in the 2004 general election), in view of the difficult situation, with cost of living going through the roof, workers deserve all the attention from government.

"There is a growing income inequality in the country and this must stop if we are serious about our effort at eradicating poverty", Alhaji intimated. He underscored the need for an income policy that would guarantee equality and cushion the vulnerable in order to general a decent living condition for all.