Seasoned journalist, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, has said that the hullabaloo about over-expenditures on presidential travels is not a new thing, noting that there have been similar practices in past regimes.

His comments form part of the debate concerning the luxurious hiring of a private jet that aided the President of the Republic in his recent European tour.

Making a submission on Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV on Thursday, June 17, 2021, Mr. Baako said economic challenges existed during General Acheampong’s time yet similar cost proposals were made.

“That time the economy was still in tatters. All these difficulties in hospital facilities were there. We played on the keyboards of peoples’ emotions relative to the purchase, the cost including the context of the state of the economy and indeed virtually indictment Acheampong,” he added.

He explained that opposition groups at the time capitalised on the challenges of the day to accuse the ruling governments of overblowing state cash.

“This was one of the things the AFRC, the June 4 Movement and all those holds on to say Acheampong was corrupt, extravagant and has destroyed the Ghanaian economy” he noted.

The Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide went on to say that the rumor of spending lavishly on presidential jets made it seem as if the facility will be a sole preserve and beneficial to the president alone.

“As if and truly, those planes are not exclusively for the president alone even though they are known as presidential flights in the Ghana air force or if you like, an executive jet that has a component for the president” Mr. Baako stressed.

Mr. Baako said the presidential plane saga that is debated in the media today still hinges on happenings of the past.

“You come to Falcon and Airbus, same. Those on the other side had changed. Is like the jubilee house construction, same argument. And that’s what I mean we are all part of the problem in terms of doing the debate” he emphasized

By: Ernest Tetteh Kabu | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana