Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s proposed development plan for the nation has been referred to by the Ghana Union Movement (GUM) as a “cover-up to win votes.”
The Vice President’s refusal to “acknowledge the failures of the government” was questioned by the Union, and they expressed skepticism about his pledge to remove certain taxes that the current administration had imposed.
The founder and flagbearer of GUM, Reverend Christian Kwabena Andrews, criticized the Vice President in an interview with the Ghana News Agency for failing to voice his objection to certain taxes imposed by the government before he was chosen to lead the ruling New Patriotic Party.
“I don’t think it’s true that he (Bawumia) is the leader of the economic giants that were managing the country; he is a part of the regime that introduced the e-levy and other tax measures,” the man stated.
During his speech to Ghanaians on Wednesday night, the Vice President—who also serves as the leader of the ruling New Patriotic Party—outlined a number of the policies he intends to enact should he be elected president.
Dr. Bawumia, who has made digitization a top priority, said he plans to use technology and the private sector to build systems that will bring Ghana into the contemporary global economy, generate revenue, and create long-term jobs.
Among other things, the vice president pledged to do away with the e-levy, which assessed a 1.5% fee on any electronic or mobile money transaction exceeding GH¢100 per day.
To prevent the smuggling of goods, he further pledged to harmonize Ghana’s port fees with those of Togo.
The GUM, according to Reverend Andrews, supports the free port system and explains that investments in the industrial sector are weakened by the imposition of “heavy” taxes on machinery imported into the nation.
Regarding employment, he stated that rather than concentrating on the service industry, economic policies ought to focus on jobs that would enhance the nation’s resources.
“Work in the service industry adds no economic value to the nation. He stated, “We should concentrate on the production sector and create value if we want to create jobs.”
Speaking about the party’s plans for the 2024 general election, Rev. Andrews stated that nominations for parliamentary forms in the various constituencies will be open in March of this year.
He said that the Movement for Change’s leader and founder, Mr. Alan Kyerematen, had also received a public invitation from the Party to run as its running mate in the 2024 presidential contest.
According to Rev. Andrews, Mr. Kyerematen was invited because his values and goals for growth aligned with those of GUM.
