#FixTheCountry: Put Your Concerns In A Workable Format So We Engage – John Kumah Tells Protesters

Deputy Finance Minister-designate, John Kumah has entreated the #FixTheCountry protestors to table down their demands and present them to the government for further engagements to be made.

According to Mr. Kumah, government is ready to address their concerns, however, the protestors have not been specific with their demands.

“They’ve put their concerns as failure on the part of successive governments to improve the lives of the citizenry. This is so far the understanding that we as government get from them [but] we need to know the specifics on what can be done to address the specific failure as they define it,” he said.

This follows agitations on social media by the #FixTheCountry protestors demanding accountability from the government.

Concerns raised by the group made up of scores of Ghanaian youth include unemployment, dilapidated roads, poor economic conditions of citizens, poor educational systems, remuneration for appointed and elected officials in government, increase in fuel prices, intermittent power supply, etc.

Government through a press conference addressed by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta responded to some of the issues raised but the group seems unsatisfied with the response given by the government.

Speaking on the Super Morning Show, Monday, convener for the group, Oliver Baker-Vormawor, indicated that their call on the government is to ensure that institutions of the state work as required and not for more promises and assurances to be made as the Minister did on Sunday.

“Our grievances have been so clear and well-articulated: that it’s about fixing the country, it’s about fixing systems and structure. It’s also about democratising the conversation, moving it from the virtual into our communities,” he said.

However, reacting to the comments from Mr Baker-Vormawor, the Deputy Finance Minister insisted that the demands of the group were vague.

“Improving the lives of the citizenry is broad. We need to know the specifics on what can be done to address the specific failure as we define it,” he said.

“When they say that successive governments have done things we don’t like, they need to improve, government will be looking at what are the specifics that can be done to address those issued.

“They want to be part of the process and we appreciate that but I will also encourage them as part of the trust-building that they should also meet government halfway and then tell us in terms of specifics and I’ll be very happy if they can submit a paper detailing the specific demands that they are making and how different government institutions can engage them at the same time.

“If government representatives have met with them and responded somehow, it is not enough to address the concerns, I suggest they put them in a document form and present it to any representative of the government because we are prepared to engage them, we are prepared to listen to them and address these problems together,” he added.

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