The Pensioner Bondholders Forum has declared that its members will gather outside Parliament next Tuesday to observe the discussion between members of the House of Representatives and the Finance Ministry.
The picketing, aimed at bringing attention to their concerns about being excluded from the domestic debt exchange program, will continue at the Finance Ministry until the government addresses the issue.
Dr Adu Anane Antwi, who is the Convener of the Pensioners Bondholders Forum, stated to Citi News that the group is looking forward to hearing the Finance Minister's response in Parliament on Tuesday.
“We will continuously be at the Ministry until that total exemption is granted. The only day we will not be there is Tuesday when the Minister is supposed to appear before Parliament. We are going to be in Parliament to see and hear for ourselves what he will tell Parliament and what the response and reaction of Parliament will be,” Dr Antwi said.
The Pensioner Bondholders Forum has already picketed at the Finance Ministry four times, demanding a complete exemption of their investments from the Domestic Debt Exchange program. Although the government has proposed a coupon rate of 15%, the group of approximately 30 retirees, who were singing patriotic Ghanaian songs, told the media that they will not accept any cuts to their investments as they rely on the proceeds from these investments for their livelihoods.
One member of the forum said, “The only term we understand now is a total exemption. They exempted pension funds so we the retirees will return to picket again.”
