If the president has any concerns, his duty is to fix it – Minority Leader


 

Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin on Thursday struck a familiar tone when criticised President John Mahama’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), saying it was filled with lamentations rather than solutions.

Speaking after the President’s address in Parliament, Afenyo-Markin accused him of repeating past lamentations about the economy without taking responsibility for fixing the issues.

“On 21st February 2013, you notably said, ‘The meat is now down to the bones.’ This was during your address to Parliament while serving as both President and Chair of the Economic Management Team. Yet, you lamented about the very economy you presided over, re-echoing that ‘we are left with just the bones,’” he said.

The Minority Leader also questioned President Mahama’s claims of reducing the size of government, arguing that while ministerial appointments have decreased, there has been an increase in presidential staffers and committees.

“The President says he has appointed fewer ministers, but his strategy is clear"if less, more divide," there are now more presidential staffers and committees,” he stated.

According to Mr Afenyo-Markin, the President’s address was nothing new but full of his usual lamentations.

“He came to this House with the usual lamentations, only packaging them in a way that makes it seem like we have a fresh start,” he said.

He stated that instead of focusing on complaints, the President should focus on delivering solutions.

“If the President has any concerns, his duty is to fix them,” he said, echoing former President Akufo-Addo's challenge to the late President J.E.A. Mills' criticism of what he said was a broken economy he had inherited from the preceding John Agyekum Kufuor-led administration.

"If you say the economy is broke, fix it", Nana Akufo-Addo, then presidential candidate of the NPP had replied in a press conference after a State of the Nation Address by President Mills in 2009.



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