Don't Subsidize Fuel -Toronto NPP

The Toronto chapter organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Samuel Darko, has advised President J.A.Kufuor not to succumb to the pressure from the opposition to commit his government to subsidize fuel as was being done previously.

He has rather urged the Kufuor government to improve the Metro Mass Transit [MMT] services which charges lower fares to cushion the vulnerable in society. To him, subsidizing fuel would rather benefit the rich in society than the poor, which must be avoided.

Speaking in an interview recently with this reporter in Toronto, Canada, Darko noted that if the President bows to opposition pressure to subsidize fuel prices, it would bring pressure to bear on the already weak economy.

He argued that if the MMT was well resourced to provide public transport services as done in Canada and other parts of the world, there would be no pressure on the government to subsidize fuel.

"Although the fuel prices are very high and difficult to bear, we must try as much as possible to swallow it instead of subsidizing the prices as being preached by the opposition", he noted.

The NPP Toronto Chapter Organizer, also advised the Finance and Economic Planning Minister Mr. Kwadwo Baah Wiredu, not to embark upon expenditures that would overburden the next government.

He hinted that the flagbearer of NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo would visit Canada from May 29-31 to interact with the Ghanaian community in Canada. There are estimated 70,000 Ghanaians living in Toronto alone.

As to what the NPP flagbearer is expected to do that would be different from what former President J.J.Rawlings and President J.A.Kufuor did,Mr. Samuel Darko mentioned the consolidation of the gains made so far since the beginning of the Forth Republic, especially the openness of government, good practice of democracy, taking positive government decisions and the rule of law.

He said, he has been monitoring the NPP flagbearer and was happy that so far he had not made any vain promises that he could not achieve when elected as the President.

With this, he urged all NPP supporters, even opposition members to throw their weight behind Nana Akuffo-Addo to become the next President to lead the Ghanaians to the promised land after President Kufuor has left.