GHANA’S INFATUATION WITH INFLATION FIGURES

PICTURE SHOWING SOME GHANAIAN CEDI NOTES
Courtesy: ghanaweb.com


GHANA’S INFATUATION WITH INFLATION FIGURES

A public show
To announce a single inflation figure?
I hear history has been made,
With words like
Unprecedented,
Astounding
Remarkable
And excellent been thrown at all and sundry
Not even the man on the street has been spared
This barrage of mathematical figures
And nerve-racking English language,
Guess they forgot about the illiterates again.


One neatly dressed gentleman was the star of the show,
He gyrated, wowed, dribbled and dazzled patrons
Of the inflation economics fashion show.
Inflation now stands at 9.52%, he declared
As though weilding a declaration of independence.
According to him, inflation has dropped consistently
Over the past twelve months.
Permit me to quote a few phrases that came catwalking,
“9.52% inflationary rate has been achieved
In 18 months of assuming office”
“This means our economy has been managed
In a very prudent and acceptable manner”
“The remarkable drop in inflation is a positive sign”
“Contrary to what the critics say, the economy
Is not in tatters”
“The economy has been managed excellently”
“No government under the fourth republic
Has been able to achieve such a figure within such a period”
“Prudent economics has placed the challenged economy
We inherited on a sound footing”
“Ghana has become the preferred investment destination in the
West African sub-region because of our pragmatic economic policies”
“Sound and positive macroeconomic indicators”
“Precursor of good things to come”
“All their economic gurus struggled to achieve
A single-digit inflation rate within their two terms of office,
They should applaud us for the sharp drop in inflation in the country”.


Kindly permit a question,
What is the formula for calculating the rate of inflation?
Is there any way the ordinary Ghanaian can verify?
What was the margin of error?
Does the man on the street understand inflation?
Twelve months of consistently dropping
Inflation figures, let’s recap what the ordinary
Ghanaian has been saddled with:
Aspyhxia due to tax overload,
Burgeoning taxes, an uncomfortably cumbersome load.
Road tolls, even those have gone through the roof,
Armed robbery, growing in series and sequence,
Food prices, through the roof,
Three square meals per day is the common man’s dream
Civil servant’s wage, a pittance,
The widow can no longer boast of the widow’s mite
She no longer has her copper coins.
Basic services:
Electricity tariffs, skyrocketed to the moon
Potable water, still a mythical Ghanaian figure today,
Far from a necessity,
Probably the most expensive Ghanaian luxury.
Education, a miseducation
A merry band of half-baked Ghanaian future leaders,
Being churned out in a steady stream.
Healthcare, better not fall ill,
Why? We’ve got no healthcare,
Barter trade, cash for healthcare,
Pretty fair trade eh?
We pride ourselves on a topsy-turvy system.


Investment,
Ghana boasts of Chinese roads,
South Korean built houses will soon dot
Our nation’s face.
The Ghanaian tertiary graduate sits idle,
Masses unemployed with fancy degrees.
They trolls the streets for days and come back to
Tell tales of job advertisements making unreasonable demands,
10yrs of work experience among other things.
How does the green graduate come by such experience?
Who should give him that experience so you
Can come poach him and benefit from another’s hard work?
They sit at home watching the days go by,
After not too long, ten years go by,
By then, they would have gained a lot of experience,
Only if an experience in idling would ever become
A prerequisite for a job advertisement,
Then their future would look as bright as day.


Twelve months of consistently dropping inflation rates,
Has the life of the man on the street been impacted in any way?
Yes!!! it surely has,
He now pays exorbitant amounts for unprocessed food,
His water supply is erratic,
Others have no water supply at all,
Those with electricity have light bulbs flickering
Like they got Parkinson’s disease,
Others stock up on candles by the truck load,
Education, just a charade,
Ignorance now seems a better option,
At least trading in processed and unprocessed goods requires no degree,
As long as you agree one plus one equals two.
Instead of tooting your own horn,
Give them their due and they would gladly toot it for you.
So much for your parades and illusions,
Propaganda does not put food on the table
Of the common man,
After months of touting your prowess in
Macroeconomics and inflation figures,
The ordinary Ghanaian sits disillusioned
Totally uncertain of his tomorrow.
Enough of your fanfares and parades,
Create an enabling environment for the
Ordinary Ghanaian to make ends meet,
Give him clean drinking water that
Does not cost an arm and a leg,
You have tooted your vuvuzela long enough,
Promises have never been legal tender in this country,
Do not feed us promises and policies,
Let your actions reflect in the pockets of the common man
We’re tired of living in your nightmarish Ghana.