Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensa Bonsu, says he has stopped taking his fuel coupon allocation as cabinet minister in response to Ghana’s worst economic crisis in a generation. Critics have questioned government’s failure to cut its size and embark on a more aggressive cost cutting measure to shift the burden of the crisis from the citizenry who have had to face the brunt of the current situation.
However, speaking on PM Express last night, Mr. Mensa Bonsu said the government has performed significantly well when it comes to expenditure cuts, even though he admits more can be done “Well maybe I would agree if they said government must do more. But to say that they haven’t done enough, some people say that they haven’t done anything. For those of them who say we haven’t done anything I’ll disagree. “And I just pointed out to you what happened yesterday, and I’m aware that the President has directed that 30% of salaries of the Ministers must be forfeited to some other enterprise.
That they should forgo a third of their salaries which is significant and also government is saying that ‘look, we’re not going to establish any new bureaucracies,’” he said. He noted that while the government girds up its loin to do more towards alleviating the plight of Ghanaians, he is personally embarking on his own austerity journey to support government efforts. “Well I personally think that I must do more. Don’t forget they were giving out fuel coupons for instance, that one has been cut out.
No I longer take fuel coupons as a cabinet minister. It doesn’t come to me. And even parliament here, as the majority leader, I’m not having half of what I used to have prior to 2021,” he said. He urged others to extend a helping hand to those in need as the country strives to survive the economic situation. “As an individual doing more also means holding the hands of people in the constituency and also elsewhere who would need your assistance because we’re living in perilous times admittedly.
So if you can assist your brother there shouldn’t be any coercion. If you can assist your sister, your nephew, your niece, a colleague, your neighbour, assist because we are in difficult times,” he said.
