Deputy Minister for Finance, and Member of Parliament for Ejisu, John Kumah, has debunked claims by Speaker of Parliament that government may not be able to honor its salary obligations from the next three months.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin made this disclosure last week in parliament attributing it to his sources.
Making the revelation on the floor of Parliament, the Speaker called on MPs to “show leadership in these difficult times.”
“This is not to discourage the committee from doing their work. If something is not done within the next three months, the government may not be able to pay salaries.”
“So we have to take leadership. We have to do a lot of things,” he said.
His concerns came amid labour agitations for better conditions of service as well as rising cost of living, even as the government struggles to get through the controversial Electronic Transaction Levy, which it has touted as a major remedy to the country’s many financial challenges.
But Mr. Kumah in a Citi News interview indicated that it is not true government cannot pay salaries.
“It is not true. Even when COVID-19 hit us hard, and we were struggling as a country, we still managed to pay all public workers and on time. In January this year, workers were paid on time. We are hopeful that salary of February will be paid on time.”