Fifi Kwettey’s lies exposed (1)

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Parent Category: Our Country

Category: Politics

Created on Monday, 02 April 2012 00:00

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Fifi Kwettey’s lies exposed (1)

Fifi Kwettey, deputy Minister of Finance and Economic planning, has been on several platforms daring Ghanaians and, in particular members of the New Patriotic Party, to prove a single iota of falsehood disseminated by him during the 2008 batch of press conferences he dubbed “Setting the Records Straight.”

The New Statesman takes up this challenge and in this and subsequent editions will expose the series of lies propagated by the former propaganda secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress in 2008.

Today’s focus will be on the lies about the state of Ghana’s economy as put out by Fifi Kwettey in the 24th of October 2008 edition of the “Setting the records straight”, which also badly exposed his lack of knowledge of simple economic issues. Against this background, it therefore came as a surprise to many as to what informed President Mills’ decision to appoint him as a deputy Minister of Finance considering his lack of knowledge of the subject matter.

Fifi Kwettey, in the 24th October press conference titled “Why Atta Mills’ promises are credible & Why Akufo-Addo’s are not worth even the paper they are written on”, Fifi Kwettey stated on authority that the NPP’s claim of quadrupling the size of the Ghanaian economy from $3.9 billion in 2000 to $16 billion in 2008 was a big lie.

According to the deputy Finance Minister, the NPP was so anxious to mislead Ghanaians that they [NPP] had completely lost sight of the fact “that there is no way an economy purportedly growing at an average of about 6 percent can quadruple in eight years.”

Then came the bold declaration by Fifi Kwettey: “An economy of $4 billion in 2000 growing at the so called average rate of 6% per annum can in eight years be at most only $6.4 billion- We repeat $6.4 billion.”

“When the NPP says they have quadrupled the economy from 4 billion to 16 billion in eight years, what they are claiming is that the economy of Ghana has been growing at an average rate of nearly 20 percent every year”, Fifi Kwettey continued.

This is the level of understanding of economic growth rates Mr Fifi Kwettey has and is currently at the helm of the country’s finances.

However, as the NDC’s own 2010 budget statement would have it, the NPP had even understated the size of the Ghanaian economy as at 2008 as figures show that the size of Ghana’s economy in 2008 stood at $17.78 billion. After the economy was rebased, the size of the economy in 2008 stood at $24.85 billion (GH¢30.17 billion).

Any yet Fifi Kwettey has the audacity to dare anyone to prove a single falsehood in his 2008 publications.

Again, in the same press statement, Fifi Kwettey stated that the NPP’s claim of having inherited an inflation level of 40.5% as at December 2000 was false, adding that “Dr Bawumia, the NPP running mate can confirm this fact.”

“That is not the truth!” Fifi Kwettey exclaimed.

As though this was not enough, Fifi Kwettey’s lying spree has begun in his 2012 edition of setting the records straight.

For example, Mr Kwettey, last Thursday, stated that “The people of Akatsi through Tadjewu to Dzodze can still not believe their eyes that within three short years a major new road has been constructed and commissioned for them- opening that corridor to a whole new economic opportunity.”

He continues, “The three years of President Mills have seen three new boarding gates at the Kotoka International Airport, eight additional aircraft parking bays nearing completion, the construction of a Perishable Cargo Centre which is set to revolutionize the nation’s horticultural export business......”

The above mentioned projects are all part of the $547 million worth of projects undertaken by the Millennium Challenge Account secured by President Kufuor, and clearly spelt out in the MCA’s “List of projects” document.

Also Fifi Kwettey stated that the NPP never bothered to procure patrol vessels to protect our fisheries resources and boost enforcement of the fisheries regulation but President Mills in his three years has “quickly moved to procure four (4) patrol vessels.”

Again, Fifi Kwettey conveniently forgets that the agreement for the purchase of these speed boats was sent to parliament by the NPP administration, with funding of the project already secured, and was approved by parliament on the 14th of November 2008.

According to the manufacturers, it takes three years to manufacture these boats and thus arrived in the country in 2011, three years after order had been made.

Fiifi Arhin

Source: The Statesmanonline

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