Govt Officials Must Sacrifice Luxuries First - Dr. Mahama

The leader of the opposition People's National Convention (PNC), Dr. Edward Mahama, has observed that until officials of the NPP government change from their present luxurious lifestyles, it will remain unjustified for the government to call on Ghanaians to sacrifice.

"It is unjustified for Ghanaian workers to be continuously persuaded to work under unsatisfactory conditions in the face of the current difficult economic situation, while ministers and other government officials continue to live affluent lives as though they are in a different country, "the twice defeated PNC flag-bearer stressed.

The PNC leader made the declaration in an interview with LUV FM, a Kumasi based radio station which was closely monitored by The Chronicle.

On the current debate over the proposed policy of full cost recovery in the country's tertiary educational institutions, Dr. Mahama simply said, "There should not be anything like full cost recovery."

His reason was that the policy, if introduced, will deprive a number of poor but brainy Ghanaian citizens of tertiary education.

"I am contributing my quota towards the nation's development as a medical doctor, because there was no such obnoxious policy as full cost recovery during our days, which would have deprived me of getting university education as a poor man's son," he explained.

When asked for his views on the way forward on the controversial issue of funding tertiary education in the country, Dr. Mahama advised the government to institute a policy aimed at identifying genuinely poor but intelligent students in the country.

He continued that such students could have a special loan scheme or grant in place for footing the bills of their tertiary education. After this has been done, a meaningful discussion on funding of tertiary education can then commence.

The PNC leader criticized the government for what he described as its inability to stand firm and reject certain policies of the IMF and the World Bank which are not worth pursuing.

Dr. Mahama described the NPP government as ineffective and called on Ghanaians to vote massively for the PNC in next year's general elections and assured a better living standards for Ghanaians.