Lord Commey Defends Petrol Price Hikes

THE NATIONAL organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Lord Commey, has said that in order for the government to bring the economy back on track and also revive the banks that are on the verge of collapsing, the NPP needs to bite the bullet by increasing the fuel prices.

He said most banks in the country are collapsing due to C50-C70 billion which is being used to pay off interest on accrued debt at Tema Oil Refinery (TOR).

Speaking to the Chronicle in an interview, Mr. Commey condemned the reactions of the main opposition party NDC, saying their criticisms are an " act of gross dishonesty".

He noted that the NDC knowing very well and being aware of the circumstances which led to the accumulation of the indebtedness of the TOR to a whopping sum of o4.5trillion failed to give concrete criticisms and alternative measures.

He contended that, as a matter of urgency, to have a vibrant development in the country, the NPP needs a pragmatic and the realistic measure to ensure that the debt at TOR is not left to suffocate the government.

Mr. Commey called on all and sundry to do away with populism and give way to realism for the nation to progress. He said even though it was hard and painful to increase the price of the fuel knowing the economic hardships, the government needs to bite the bullet for the nation to progress.

According to him, if the NDC government that had been in power for 20 years had taken the bold decision by biting the bullet, the nation would not have been sent to financial doldrums.

"The NDC failed to fix the right price for the fuel thus allowing petrol to be sold far below the cost of crude oil for cheap political popularity."

"When we took over from the NDC, they knew the state of the economy. I would recall that even before the last election some few months, Mr. Victor Selormey, the then deputy Minister of Finance came out in the open to say that there was nothing in the government coffers that could be used to develop the nation," he stressed.

Recounting further, he said it was unfortunate for the NDC to turn round too soon to criticize every step taken by the government for the benefit of the nation, knowing the difficulties and the challenges confronting the nation and the NPP immediately they took over due to mismanagement of the NDC. "

The decision taken by the government to increase the price of the fuel was in the interest of the nation irrespective of the short-term hardships to enhance the nation to move forward economically."

When he was pushed to respond to the issue of government neglecting the advice of the NDC, this is what he said, " I am still in doubt about the kind of advice they have given to us that we have resisted. This is a government that listens to every body. We have a president who has gained the concern of people at heart helping to eradicate the myth surrounding the seat of government and today people are free to express their opinions on issues without fear and favour."

The people have given the NPP a mandate with the underlying principles of creating wealth for the nation, contending that NDC cannot rule for the nation since they were tried, tested and failed to help the nation, he added.

In a response to the impression that the NPP is misruling the country, he said, the conduct and reactions could be described as hypocrisy. "It is important to note people making comparisons as they made analysis, there are some genuine objectives comparisons between those days and these times," he said, adding that as politicians, they are not ready to comment on those issues calling on the public should judge.

Commenting on the reactions of the people of Dagbon expressing dissatisfaction of the government's White Paper, Mr. Commey called upon the two gates to accept the recommendations to allow peace to prevail.