Bawumia never promised not to borrow – Veep’s office

The Minority in Parliament’s claims that Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia said a New Patriotic Party (NPP) government would not borrow if it won power are false, his office has said.

Dr. Bawumia’s office, in a statement, challenged the Deputy Minority Leader, James Klutse Avedzi, to prove his claims the Vice President had made such a statement.

“The Office of the Vice President would like to state for the record that the above statement attributed to the Vice-President by the Deputy Minority Leader (and subsequently by many NDC communicators) is a complete and utter fabrication. The Vice President's speeches, lectures and statements on the economy over the years are a matter of public record.”

“We are therefore challenging the deputy Minority Leader (and the other NDC communicators) to immediately provide the evidence to back up their claim. They cannot provide any such evidence because the Vice-President has never made such a statement.”

After Dr. Bawumia recently said the Akufo-Addo administration would continue to borrow to help grow the Ghanaian economy, but in a responsible fashion, Mr. Avedzi  accused the Vice President making a U-turn on the issue of borrowing by government because he [Dr. Bawumia] had criticized the Mahama government for having an appetite for borrowing.

The Vice President assured that Akufo-Addo government would adopt fiscal discipline to ensure that the economy is not thrown off track by the borrowing.

“A lot of people misunderstand when we say we are going to be responsible, it doesn't mean that we are not going to borrow money, it only means that we are going to borrow responsibly and not recklessly,” Dr. Bawumia at the closing ceremony of the two-day National Policy Summit on August 16.

The Minority, however, still called Dr. Bawumia’s perceived U-Turn shameful.

Speaking on Eyewitness News on Tuesday, Mr. Avedzi, said: “it is shameful for Bawumia to say in the past that we don't need to borrow because we have all the resources here and now saying that we need to borrow and borrow responsibly, that is the problem I have with him.”

The statement from Dr. Bawumia’s office urged the Minority “to go back and take the time to read the Vice President's lectures as well as speeches and try to criticize based on the statements contained therein.”

Dr. Bawumia’s office also criticized the Minority for “deliberately fabricate statements” in the name of politics.

Find the Statement below
Argue on Facts and Not Fabrications
The Office of the Vice President's attention has been drawn to a statement (on Citi FM on August 16, 2017) attributed to the Deputy Minority Leader, Hon James Klutse Avedzi, accusing the Vice President of doing a U-turn on the issue of borrowing by government. Specifically, the deputy minority leader is reported to have stated that:

“The Vice President… while he was the running mate for the NPP was emphatic on the issue about borrowing in Ghana saying that the country need not borrow and that we have the resources here in Ghana and that when they win power they will not borrow”.

The Office of the Vice President would like to state for the record that the above statement attributed to the Vice-President by the deputy minority leader (and subsequently by many NDC communicators) is a complete and utter fabrication. The Vice President's speeches, lectures and statements on the economy over the years are a matter of public record.

We are therefore challenging the deputy minority leader (and the other NDC communicators) to immediately provide the evidence to back up their claim. They cannot provide any such evidence because the Vice-President has never made such a statement.

To deliberately fabricate statements in an attempt to attack your political opponent is an exercise in desperation and intellectual dishonesty. As politicians, it is important that we elevate the discourse and argue based on facts and not on fabrications and outright lies.

Our advice to them is to go back and take the time to READ the Vice President's lectures as well as speeches and try to criticize based on the statements contained therein. Ghana deserves much better.

…..Signed……
Frank Agyei-Twum
Director of Communications
Office of the Vice-President
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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana