Minister for Creative Arts and MP for Ketu South, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has hit back at former Finance Minister Mohammed Amin Adam over his recent remarks questioning the government’s decision to increase base pay despite claims of a “criminally mishandled” economy.
In a strongly worded Facebook post on February 21, Dzifa Gomashie called out Amin Anta, urging him to “keep quiet” and be grateful to President John Dramani Mahama for making bold decisions in challenging economic times.
“You should be thanking H.E. John Dramani Mahama,” she stated, adding that the choice to increase base pay in a fragile economy was a necessary but tough call.
She argued that the decision was driven by the previous government’s mismanagement, which led to high inflation and forced the current administration to respond to public sector salary agitations.
“You should know that a single decision to increase the base pay in a fragile economy was definitely going to have a devastating effect on our economy in the future,” she noted.
Dzifa pointed fingers at what she described as “bad governance,” highlighting the 54% inflation rate that, according to her, left the government with little choice but to adjust salaries.
“Ghanaians are wise and discerning,” she added, suggesting that the public is fully aware of the circumstances leading to the pay hikes.
The Background
Amin Adam recently questioned President Mahama’s statements about the economy being criminally mismanaged under the previous administration.
He argued that if the economy was as bad as described, it wouldn’t have been possible to afford significant base pay increases while maintaining decent fiscal deficits.
“Two questions for the government! How could an economy described as ‘criminally mishandled’ afford increases in the base pay for public sector workers by 30% in 2023; 23% from Jan – June 2024; and 25% from July – December 2024, and still post decent fiscal deficits?” Amin Anta quizzed.
President Mahama, while addressing organised labour, admitted that the nation was in dire straits but insisted that he had uncovered the extent of the previous government’s mismanagement.
He described Ghana as a “crime scene” and appealed to labour unions to accept a modest 10% increase to help stabilise the economy.
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