'It is an insult to Ghanaians' - Rashid Pelpuo slams NAPO over 'dum siesie' statement

The Member of Parliament for Wa Central, Rashid Pelpuo, has criticised Energy Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh for his remarks on the recent power outages (dumsor).

He argued that denying the current administration's role in the erratic power supply shows a lack of respect for Ghanaians who empowered them.

Pelpuo dismissed allegations that the energy sector's mismanagement under former President and NDC flagbearer John Dramani Mahama led to the outages.

He described NAPO's comments on the power situation as 'a disrespect to Ghanaians' and insensitive to their struggles.

“John Mahama did what he did to save the people of Ghana from our power need. This president has failed to add, not even a quarter megawatt of energy, to our power needs.

“So, if there is dumsor, which we know there is, and you come to tell us there is no dumsor, it is an insult to the Ghanaian. It is a way of disrespect towards the feelings and the pulses of Ghanaians. It is unacceptable and I think Ghanaians should always take them on,” a citinewsroom.com report quoted him.

His remarks followed Dr. Opoku Prempeh's distinction between the current power supply issues and those during Mahama's tenure.

As per myjoyonline.com, the energy minister claimed the ongoing crisis differs from Mahama's 'dumsor’.

He noted that Mahama's era saw prolonged outages with brief electricity periods, lasting four years. The current 'dum siesie' refers to temporary outages for repairs.

"When I joined the ministry, we'd moved beyond 72 to 96-hour blackouts with only six hours of power. Now, we're dealing with 'dum siesie', distinct from 'dumsor'," he asserted.

"'Dumsor' was unique to John Dramani Mahama's presidency. He's the only president to have consistently subjected the nation to power cuts throughout his term," he stated.

This statement has faced strong public backlash, accusing him of negligence.

SB/ ADG