‘You can’t be driving the latest V8 and tell citizens to sacrifice’ – Senyo Hosi

Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors, Senyo Hosi, has charged the government to reduce spending and luxurious living to serve as an indication that the country is indeed in difficult economic times.

According to him, the fancy trips and cars government officials have been seen in, in recent times contradicts the hardships citizens are facing.

Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta last year, in the presentation of the 2022 budget said it was time for burden-sharing as a people with one language to turn the country’s situation around for good.

Even though the Minister has reiterated this as many times as possible, Senyo Hosi says the government is not seen to be fulfilling its bargain.

He was speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday.

“It is easy for everybody to talk about labour having to sacrifice. What is our government doing? I don’t think that our governments show the way appropriately.

“We have to let people realize that while we claim that things are difficult, we are living lives that show things are difficult. You can’t claim that things are difficult and travels are what we see them to be. You can’t claim things are difficult and we are seeing our politicians buying new SUVs and trying to show who has the latest V8.

“We can’t talk about things being broke and not talk about rationalizing the size of government. Government is too big. It is as simple as that. Show something and get labour to really come along,” he said.

Senyo Hosi intimated that labour cannot sacrifice if the government is not doing the same.

“As a father in my home, when things are difficult, I don’t drive the big SUV. I let people know that we all have to scale down. I go in a small car.

“You can’t live large and at the same time, ask those like labour who we all admit are highly underpaid to be sacrificing.”

Meanwhile, the Minority’s Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, stated that President Akufo-Addo has currently spent over GH¢4 million on his 10-day trip to some European countries and Guyana on a chartered luxurious private jet.