Martin Amidu: IMF as a smokescreen to ram austerity budget down the throats of Ghanaians
There is a saying that: “to be forewarned is to be forearmed.” It is also said that: “history does not repeat itself but it rhymes.”
Ghanaian patriots and civil society organizations should, therefore, heed the signal of impunity sent out by government to use the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a smokescreen behind which to ram down the throat of Ghanaians an austerity budget in November 2022 without any extensive and in-depth transparent and accountable consultations with “We the People” as required under any democracy.
In the November 2021 Budget for the year 2022, this government rammed down our throats the E-Levy that went to Parliament without any prior consultation with the generality of the
people and stakeholders. It is an understatement to say that a majority of Ghanaians were against the E-Levy but with arrogance and impunity, the government corruptly bought its way with the political elite to approve and enact the E-Levy into law.
The consequent reaction from Ghanaians is there for all to see how successful a reception that policy received and is receiving. Hopefully, the government has not forgotten the length of time and labour it took it to organize post facto consultations with Ghanaians after it had presented the 2022 Budget Statement to Parliament without a prior respect for the views of the ordinary voters of this country.
But this is a government that does not learn any lesson from its unpopular economic policies. It, therefore, impudently refuses to be guided by the rhymes of history. This Government operates on the assumption that Ghana is a satellite state of international capital and its neocolonialist masters to the extent that the compradors now ruling this country have developed such a relationship with and control over the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that it is capable of fast-tracking “…negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to ensure key aspects of the programme are reflected in the 2023 budget statement”. The audacity of the Minister for Finance to announce this intention of the Government at a press briefing on Wednesday, 28 September 2022 is supposed to be:
“In line with the President’s dialogue with the IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, negotiations will be fast-tracked to ensure that key aspects of the programme are reflected in the 2023 Annual Budget Statement in November 2022.”
We the People are entitled to know the content of the dialogue the President, a well-known
comprador bourgeoisie who has run this country into its present economic mess has had with the IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, that they have both already sealed the fate of Ghanaians from being part of or privy to the ongoing negotiations which she had agreed with the President will form part of the Minister for Finance’s November 2022 Budget Statement to Parliament.