Government seems to be doing everything
possible to thwart a public lecture to be given by the vice presidential
candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, today to be
chaired by former President John Agyekum Kufuor.Even though the event
was expected to take place at the state-run Accra International Conference
Centre (AICC) as planned, managers of the facility, which is almost in ruins,
have denied the organizers access to the venue 24 hours before the
event.
Dr Bawumia has been a thorn in the flesh of the ruling National
Democratic Congress (NDC) with his incisive analysis of the Ghanaian economy
since the party took office.
The President John Mahama administration has
run the economy down from a 14 percent growth in 2009 to 3 percent as at
now.
According to sources, when organizers of the lecture went to the
Conference Centre to make payment for the use of the place, which had already
been agreed upon, the managers rejected the money, claiming that air
conditioners at the main hall where the event was to take place were not
functioning, raising suspicion that there had been an ‘order from
above.’
This obviously came as a surprise to the organizers who left with
signs of disappointment written all over their faces.
They had no other
option than to immediately look for a new venue, considering the publicity the
proposed programme had gained.
The National Theatre, which is a minute or
two drive away from the Conference Centre, then became the most probable
option.
Venue for the highly publicized lecture, which would be under the
theme: “The State of the Ghanaian Economy – A Foundation of Concrete or Straw,”
has therefore been changed to the National Theatre, barring any further attempts
to frustrate the organizers – considering the fact that the new venue is also
state-run.
A statement issued from the office of Dr Bawumia yesterday and
signed by his press aide, Kwabena Boadu, explained, “The change in venue follows
a decision by the managers of the Conference Centre (Ministry of Foreign
Affairs) to deny organizers of the programme the use of the
facility.
Despite the setback, organizers of the event assured the
general public that everything is set for the lecture at the National Theatre
today.
Public lectures of Dr Bawumia, who is a celebrated economist and
former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), have often ignited
thought-provoking debates in the country, sometimes unsettling the government
and making officials fall over each other in a desperate attempt to deny his
claims, albeit without success.
He usually delivers and explains his
submissions in simpler terms, using things that affect the ordinary Ghanaian as
examples and backed with facts and figures.
He delights many people,
including his political rivals who watch and listen attentively whenever he
mounts the podium to speak. |
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