Senior Communicator for the Movement for Change, Ebo Buckman, has lauded the Mahama-led administration for what he describes as prudent and disciplined economic management, urging Ghanaians to see recent austerity measures as signs of leadership, not populism.
Buckman, in an interview on 3FM Sunrise on July 16, dismissed criticism that recent government initiatives, such as scrapping fuel allowance for appointees, were political gimmicks.
Instead, he argued that such measures reflect the government’s commitment to fiscal responsibility.
“The government needs to be praised instead of people calling it a populist move. Even if it’s populist, we need more of these populist activities to make the economy better and more stable,” he said.
He also added that the government’s deliberate cut in expenditure and focus on fiscal consolidation are already yielding results.
“President Mahama and his team have been prudent in the way they are managing the economy. Cutting down expenditure, fiscal consolidation has been top-notch. That is where we are experiencing the kind of inflation and exchange rate we are seeing now,” Buckman added.
Ebo Buckman’s comment comes at a time when the government is facing both praise and scrutiny over its efforts to rebuild the economy after years of instability and debt distress.
Government on July 15 scrapped fuel allowance to its appointees through a press release issued by the Minister in charge of Government Communications.
Following calls for clarification on the new directive, the Deputy Presidential Spokesperson, Shamima Muslim explained that the directive will not affect state travels and official assignments to be carried out by government appointees.
She emphasised that the directive only applies to weekly or everyday allocation of fuel allowances to state officials.
“The exemption is that there will still be room for some regulated official travel and assignments. For those regulated official travel and assignments, there will be room for the state to provide fuel for those particular travels,” she stated.
The Deputy Presidential Spokesperson noted that government will subsequently provide a written frame work for the implementation of this directive such that all appointees are aligned with the kind of travels and duties that would require state intervention.
“…but otherwise, everyday commute to and from work, it is not government that will provide fuel for those ones,” she added.
