Students Deflate Akomea's Voodoo Statistics

- NDC, PNC support NUGS’ position

Government officials and leading members of the ruling NPP were yesterday forced into a defensive position after they were confronted with a two-pronged attack from the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

In separate press conferences organized simultaneously in Accra, the two groups challenged the NPP to come clean on the GETFund and the alleged coup plot; two controversial issues that have dominated the headlines throughout this week.

In response to NUGS’ August 18, 2003 ultimatum to government to pay a total of ?411.613 billion as arrears into the GETFund or face a court action, Information Minister Nana Akomea on Tuesday challenged the students' body to get its mathematics right as the arrears on the GETFund as at the end of 2002 was only ?173 billion.

However, the NUGS President, Edward Kofi Omane Boamah yesterday rebutted Nana Akomea's analysis as greatly flawed.

Quoting copiously from the 2002 and 2003 budget statements of Finance Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo, the NUGS President suggested that the Information Minister may be more interested in doing propaganda for the government than getting his facts right on the GETFund arrears, or the Finance Minister lied to Parliament.

"Hon. Nana Akomea says, 'in year 200I, the government paid ?260 billion leaving a balance of ?108 billion." Again this is NOT TRUE because page 154 of 2003 budget stipulates that in 2001 only ?140 billion was paid leaving a balance of ?252.82 billion.

"Also Nana Akomea says 'in year 2002, ?336 billion was paid into the fund leaving a balance of ?65 billion'. Ladies and gentlemen of the press, it is NOT TRUE because page 154 of 2003 budget says government paid ?164.6 billion.

"However, it is worthy of note that in 2003 the Minister of Finance paid ?138.367 billion as arrears for year 2003 leaving an outstanding amount of ?158.793 billion. Hence Nana Akomea's manufactured total arrears for the year 2001-2 of ?173 billion is and forever remain a myth for it CONTRADICTS the budget statements of 2002 and 2003.

"NUGS MAINTAINED YESTERDAY, MAINTAINS TODAY AND FOREVER MAINTAINS THAT ON THE BASIS OF CREDIBLE evidence the total arrears is ?411.613 billion", the NUGS President reiterated.

NUGS also disbelieved Nana Akomea's claim that Parliament had approved a schedule for repayments into the GETFund, and challenged him to produce it.

The NUGS' position is reinforced by a report published in June this year by the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana, Legon, which disclosed that the GET Fund is in arrears of about 50 percent of its budgetary allocation.

In its assessment of the state of the Ghanaian economy in 2002, ISSER stated that statutory payments fell short of budgetary targets by 3.17% as a result of government's inability to transfer resources to statutory funds, including the GETFund.

On the alleged foiled coup plot, NUGS condemned it unambiguously and called for "accelerated investigations" into the issue.

"We cherish DEMOCRACY and will forever insist that the "THUMB BE THE TOOL" for electing our political leaders.

"In this direction, we call on all who believe in leadership through COUNTING of heads and not CUTTING of heads to register with NUGS in combat so we resist any subversive moves".

The opposition NDC, at its press conference, warned the ruling NPP government to desist from using rumours of coup plots as a political tool to cover its incompetence, saying the practice has the tendency of antagonizing the military.

"The Government appears unaware that such unfounded allegations antagonize the officers and men in the military and create unnecessary tension and suspicion in the institution," Mr. John Mahama, NDC Communication Director said.

He stated that although some political gains could be derived from such tactics in the short term its long term effects particularly on investments could be very devastating.

Mr. Mahama, who also the NDC MP for Bole/Bamboi, blamed the current developments on the returnee security personnel who are currently handling the security apparatus and exploiting their anti-NDC sentiments for their own ends.

"It is a known fact that the ranks of the security services have been swollen by returnees from exile since the assumption of power by the NPP government. The current developments we are witnessing are partly the results of the desire of these elements to exploit anti-NDC sentiments for their own personal vendettas"

He reiterated the party's commitment to upholding the constitutional order, adding that the party will continue to sustain multi-partism and preserve the peace and stability the country is enjoying now.

"The NDC demonstrated this commitment by ensuring a smooth and peaceful transition of power when it lost the December 2000 general elections. We have since been playing the role of a constructive opposition and are confident of our ability to defeat the ruling NPP and winning political power through the ballot box", he stressed.

On the GETFund, the NDC rebutted the ruling government's position that the fund was not in arrears.

Mahama explained that the total GETFund arrears for the period of 2001/2002 amounted to ?411.61b, which lent credence to the NUGS position that the fund is in arrears of over ?400b and asked the NPP Government not play politics over the issue.

In another reaction, the General-Secretary of the People's National Convention (PNC), Mr. Gabriel Pwamang supported the NUGS Position to go to court if indeed government is in arrears of the GETFund.

In an interview, Mr. Pwamang observed that the NUGS as a major stakeholder in the country's educational sector can use all constitutional and legal means at its disposal if it deems it necessary.

"The NUGS should assess its chances. And if it is true that the fund is in arrears, then the indebtedness should be reverted to the GETFund account and used for the purposes the fund was set up to do", Mr. Pwamang said, adding that if the NUGS feels aggrieved they could proceed to court.