The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Thursday cautioned the government to hasten slowly in its determination to increase petroleum prices, as the political terrain presently is very rough. It urged the government to listen to calls by political parties and civil society against any possible increase without corresponding salary adjustments.
"We wish to advise the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government that the recipe that we have learnt it is determined to implement - steep increases in petroleum prices, an increase in the Value Added Tax rate, increases in electricity and water tariffs, a wage freeze, abolition of extra duty allowances and a freeze on non-oil related exchange - is a recipe to economic unrest and social chaos...," Dr Nii Josiah-Aryeh, NDC General Secretary, stated at a press conference in Accra.
Dr Josiah-Aryeh, flanked by the Professor John Evans Atta Mills, former Vice President and Presidential Flagbearer of the party, and other national executives of the party, said the proposed wage freeze, abolition of extra-duty allowances and freeze on non-oil related foreign exchange would compound the condition of ordinarily persons. He said, the political tension had been fueled by "government propagandists" who are bent on putting a spin on issues concerning the petroleum prices.
"We know that the NPP government is determined to increase petroleum prices, no matter what. We also know that government is bent on doing this completely unmindful of the depth of public feeling and public opinion on the matter, hence the caution," Dr Josiah-Aryeh stated.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Thursday cautioned the government to hasten slowly in its determination to increase petroleum prices, as the political terrain presently is very rough. It urged the government to listen to calls by political parties and civil society against any possible increase without corresponding salary adjustments.
"We wish to advise the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government that the recipe that we have learnt it is determined to implement - steep increases in petroleum prices, an increase in the Value Added Tax rate, increases in electricity and water tariffs, a wage freeze, abolition of extra duty allowances and a freeze on non-oil related exchange - is a recipe to economic unrest and social chaos...," Dr Nii Josiah-Aryeh, NDC General Secretary, stated at a press conference in Accra.
Dr Josiah-Aryeh, flanked by the Professor John Evans Atta Mills, former Vice President and Presidential Flagbearer of the party, and other national executives of the party, said the proposed wage freeze, abolition of extra-duty allowances and freeze on non-oil related foreign exchange would compound the condition of ordinarily persons. He said, the political tension had been fueled by "government propagandists" who are bent on putting a spin on issues concerning the petroleum prices.
"We know that the NPP government is determined to increase petroleum prices, no matter what. We also know that government is bent on doing this completely unmindful of the depth of public feeling and public opinion on the matter, hence the caution," Dr Josiah-Aryeh stated. He noted that any increases in petroleum prices now would worsen the plight of the average Ghanaian worker.
The NDC General-Secretary reminded the government of a similar situation in 1995, stressing, "the economic plight facing the ordinary Ghanaian is similar to, if not worse than, those conditions that existed in the country at the time of the infamous Kume Preko demonstration."
"The NPP set a precedence in November 1999 when it led other opposition parties in the "Ya Bre" demonstration against fuel price increases, utility tariffs adjustment and increases in the VAT rate.
"The NPP government must apply the same principles they made that any such increases will be unbearable and unaffordable for the Ghanaian masses as the plight of ordinary citizens have not improved under its administration."
He said whether the demonstration was justifiable or not the reality today is that Ghanaians could not cope with the increases being proposed, stressing, "government must be careful not to get carried away by its own propaganda".
The NDC also advised the government to adopt a by-partisan approach to the economic crisis by creating conditions for an inter-party approach "instead of the propagandists' tactics of blaming the past government over the energy crisis".
Copyright © 1994 - 2024 GhanaWeb. All rights reserved.
