You are here: HomeNews2004 05 19Article 58045

Opinions of Wednesday, 19 May 2004

Columnist: Aryeetey, Richmond

Salon Loan Saga - View From America

In reference to the Saloon Loan Saga, I want to say that it is only in Ghana that a whole Finance minister can mess up this way, despite all his credentials and No one calls for his resignation on the basis of imcompetence.

First it was the IFC loan that blew up in his face. Then we gave him and paliarment the benefit of the doubt. Then he went and signed a debt relief in Germany without knowing how much debt we were being forgiven. When asked how come he does not know how much, he said it was written in German. Sure as heaven, the good people of Ghana pretended they have not heard.

So, now that these inexplicable saga of the Saloon loan is here, are we still going to hide our head in the sand, like the Ostrich, and pretend that we don't know that Osafo Marfo is incompetent?

Haba! Even A JSS student can make this logical conclusion. Failure to tell this man 'Hey Jack you are incompetent so step aside', is an indictment on our sense of responsibility as tax paying citizens.

Unless he has failed to tax us as he should so probably he is balancing some of the equations of political economics. Given that I still say Osafo Maarfo is incompetent. That is what the evidence shows.

Richmond Aryeetey
Ames, Iowa, USA.