‘Sacrifice’ Ofori-Atta, place Finance Ministry under Bawumia – Allotey Jacobs to Akufo-Addo

Allotey believes the Vice President has become the cynosure of critique in the wake of the government’s decision to approach the International Monetary Fund for an economic rescue programme.

He avers that Bawumia needs to play a leading role in the ongoing talks with the Fund, which talks started on Wednesday, July 5.

“A suggestion I will make to the President is to place the Finance Ministry under Dr. Bawumia. It’s a fact… sometimes you need to sacrifice people, it is important in politics, you will have to sacrifice your own,” Allotey submitted on the July 6 edition of Peace FM’s Kokrokoo show.

He referenced how Akan’s inherit along matrilineal lines to drive home the point about sacrificing one’s own, before stressing, “so, that Ministry should come under Dr. Bawumia, that is the best thing because he has led the team (Economic Management Team) and the Finance Minister can’t eat his cake and have it if he is going to lead the people to IMF. How?”

He said his views were not to suggest that Ofori-Atta be relieved of his position: “I am not asking that he is fired, I haven’t said that, because he (Akufo-Addo) knows why he put him there. But what I am saying is in this critical moment when talks with the IMF have started effectively today, Dr. Bawumia has to play a leading role.”

The two personalities, Ofori-Atta and Bawumia – who happens to be head of the government’s Economic Management Team, EMT – have come under fire in recent times.

There are calls for Ofori-Atta to be replaced and Bawumia replaced as EMT head after the July 1 announcement that the government was engaging the International Monetary Fund for an economic rescue programme.

Talks between the government and the IMF started on July 6 and are expected to run till 13th July.