The debate over whether Ghanaians are better off now than they were some eight years ago, has been rekindled by President Kufuor’s comment at an NPP rally that there is lots of money in the Ghanaian economy, but only for the hard working Ghanaian. Critics of the Kufuor administration claim the New Patriotic Party’s mantra of a stable macro economy, was only a myth and that the average Ghanaian does not feel it in the pocket. But President Kufuor said the economy has been put on the right pedestal for the Ghanaian to take advantage of. Speaking to party supporters at his home region in Kumasi over the weekend President Kufuor referred to how other Ghanaians in the past toiled and went into farming just to provide for the needs of their children. He admonished all Ghanaians to work hard saying the lazy would always complain of lack of money. But the president’s call has been met with a vigorous opposition. Fiifi Kwetey the propaganda secretary of the National Democratic Congress says the president has no right to tell Ghanaians to work for money when he grounded all sectors of the economy to a halt. “Where you have a situation when the poultry, fishing, textile, rice and the president’s own special initiatives had collapsed, how can you look the people in the face and tell them they are being lazy” he snapped. Speaking in an interview with Joy news the propaganda secretary further accused the president of double standards. “In 2000 when petrol was sold at ¢6,400, President Kufuor and his NPP were on the streets protesting of harsh economic conditions, but now petrol is heading towards ¢60,000 old currency and he says Ghanaians are being lazy? Nii Moi Thompson who is part of the Convention People’s Party and a member of the Nduom’s campaign team accused the government of living in a phantom economic paradise. He said the economy was struggling and the credit ratings of Ghanaian entrepreneurs had reduced from 9.7% in 2000 to 4.3% in February 2008. However, the NPP General Secretary Ohene Ntow accused critics of taking the president comments out of context. In an interview with Akwasi Sarpong, Ohene Ntow conceded the economy was not all rosy, but maintained Ghanaians can save much of their earnings at an inflation rate of 18% under this government, than the 42% inflation rate in the then NDC administration. Author: Nathan Gadugah