How can you be this insensitive – Ayensu-Danquah slams Akufo-Addo over spouse salary

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) 2020 Parliamentary Candidate for the Essikado Ketan Constituency, Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, has heavily criticized President Akufo-Addo over the payment of monthly allowances to spouses of the incumbent President and his Vice.

The American-trained surgeon is not happy about the decision to pay presidential spouses a monthly salary akin to cabinet ministers when their roles have not been defined under Article 71 of the constitution.

Her disappointment in President Akufo-Addo comes after Parliament, in January 2021, approved the Prof. Baidu Ntiamoah Committee’s report recommending emoluments for the executive, judiciary, and legislature, which also made provisions for the spouses of the president and vice president to be paid salaries.

The move to formalize the payment of salaries to the First lady and Second lady has generated controversies among Ghanaians both on traditional and social media.

Many have passionately kicked against the idea, owing to the fact that the government introduced new taxes that have resulted in a heightening hardship.

Adding her voice to the matter that seems to have sunk the image of the president, Dr. Ayensu-Danquah noted that Akufo-Addo, an “old man who should be compassionate about the plights of Ghanaians, is rather impoverishing the suffering Ghanaian with useless expenditure.”

“You are so old and must be acting as such but that is not what we are seeing,” she told Inside Politics host, Mugabe Maase Friday afternoon on Power FM.

She went on to assert “the saddest part is that the voices of conscience who were loud during the Mahama era are quiet.

“In this day and age; in this environment and this time…I mean how can you be this insensitive,” she fumed and described the president as lacking wisdom, foresight, and empathy.

“The fact that you are leaving in the next 3 years doesn’t mean you should be this greedy, “she added. “I am not angry anymore. I am very sad about the happenings in Ghana.”

To her, the president should have acted with wisdom especially at a time that there is hardship in the country.

She went on to assert “the saddest part is that the voices of conscience who were loud during the Mahama era are quiet.”