The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has criticised the Catholic Bishops Conference for lack of clarity in its concerns about the Akufo-Addo-led administration’s handling of the public purse.

It said the conference would have done better by making more targeted remarks about the party’s governance.

“Where are the specifics on that? Some level of clarity at that level is important and it is not about enabling the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to come in and spout,” the party noted.

The Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, at a plenary assembly in Wa, in the Upper West Region on Monday, suggested that the government had lost touch with the citizenry and had reneged on its promise of protecting the public purse and also questioned what it stated was a lack of empathy from the government towards Ghanaians.

But, Buaben Asamoa, the Director of Communications for the NPP, felt it was unfair to link economic difficulties with the protection of the public purse however, the Akufo-Addo-led administration was widening the social net, and he believed the government was sending the economy in the right direction.

“It is unfair to link economic difficulties with the protection of the public purse because the government is widening the social net and the party believes the government is sending the economy in the right direction and Ghanaians can attest to that.

“As the government has done, we can attribute the struggling economy to the almost two-year-old coronavirus pandemic whose impact we are still feeling, which has affected cost of living, prices, and many people worldwide have lost their jobs.

“Amid all these, the government showed compassion at its highest with its social interventions to cushion Ghanaians,” Mr. Asamoa proffered.

However, Sammy Gyamfi, the National Democratic Congress’ Communications Officer, said the criticisms from the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference were further evidence of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s failings, which corroborates what the NDC has been saying all along.

He expressed the party’s happiness that neutral respected voices like the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference were now coming out to speak up about some of the pertinent issues affecting the citizenry.