Chaos erupted at the Finance Ministry when Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta summoned pensioner bondholders for the eighth time to demand an exemption from the Domestic Debt Exchange Program (DDEP).
The Minister was seeking to comprehend the picketers’ concerns when he was interrupted by Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a convener for the pressure group #FixTheCountry, who had come to support the picketers and accused the minister of being untrustworthy.
“It is important because our conversation has been about building a protest culture. A culture where persons affected by public policy decisions by political officers do not sit aside but raise their voice and match that voice with the determination to show up when it matters.”
“When these things are happening, it is also important that persons are inspired by this in the spirit of resilience. So with what these pensioners have shown, it is important that we the young ones also show up for them by mobilizing people to carry forward the message of resistance expressed even with their age”, Barker-Vormawor emphasized.
This infuriated the Minister, who was whisked away by security.
The Minister told the pensioners that after the program ended and the successful participation rate was reached, the pensioners’ picketing would be unnecessary.
“Really, there is no reason for us to be sitting here because that assurance has been given on paper. I want to know what it is that you are afraid of or that you think will not happen. My issue is that now you have very little of the old bonds existing. This means that, in the event of a crisis, your ability to trade your papers is diminished. But that is the choice you made,” he said.
