NDC is sincere about high food prices - Minority

The Minority on Tuesday said it has moral and civic obligation to ask the government to address the current escalation of food prices and this move should not be considered as castigation of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) by the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

It said the Majority's stand that the economy would have to improve at a distance future when food prices would stabilise was to say that the hungry people of this country must defer their hunger to a better day.

Dr Kwabena Adjei, NDC-Biakoye, said the earlier the government took steps to bring the food prices down to meet the people's pocket the better it would be "for all of us in the Minority and the Majority and the nation at large since hunger knows no political barrier".

He was contributing to an on-going debate in Parliament on an NDC motion which says: "That this House views with serious concern the current escalating prices of foodstuffs and urges the government to take immediate steps to arrest the situation."

The motion stands in the names of Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, Avenor, Mr John Akologo Tia, Talensi and Dr Alfred Tia, Nalerigu, all of NDC.

Four NPP members co-sponsored an amendment to the original motion saying: "Conscious of the strenuous efforts currently being made by government to improve the economy, urges government to remain steadfast in this pursuit in order to revamp the agricultural sector and stabilise food prices".

It stands in the name of Mr Abraham Ossei-Aidooh, Tema West, Mr Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Old Tafo-Suame, Mr Kwame Osei Prempeh, Nsuta-Kwamang and Mr Samuel Balado Manu, Ahafo Ano South.

Dr Adjei described the amendment motion as insensitive to the plight of Ghanaians and completely incompetent.

"If nothing is done about the situation and the amendment motion is allowed to stay it will lead to restiveness among the people and it will not create a conducive atmosphere for all politicians, given that we the NDC were accused of incompetence and were voted out of power".

Saying that his mouth "is not a gun", Dr Adjei said if the NPP did not address the plight of the people they should not blame the NDC for not advising them when they also are voted out of power in the next four years.

He said it was not too late for the NPP to go back to those traders, who it engineered to manipulate prices during the just ended electioneering campaign.

Dr Adjei said the government could just appeal to the people to bear with it in the face of the hardships and ask them "to hold their guns".

He asked the government to take a cue from an article written by Professor Max Asimeh in the defunct Legon Observer, August 27, 1969 issue that says: "Ghanaians are expectant and have the tendency to be impatient and prefer short-cut to political and economic cornucopia."

He said this explains the country's historical events leading to political unrest from Burns Constitution to the present era are attributable to escalation of prices.

Mr Kosi Kedem, NDC-Hohoe South, said the hunger issue should be look at dispassionately and irrespective of the fact that the country has declared itself as being a Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC). Just as the former Prime Minister, Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia's dictum that "Kafo Didi," the poor must eat.

Supporting the NPP amendment motion, Dr Matthew Kwaku Antwi, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture and MP for Atwima-Kwanwoma asked the NDC to withdraw the motion because since the NPP came into power about five months ago no food have been harvested to warrant stable prices.

He said if the motion was withdrawn it could then be brought a year after if the same situation persisted, adding the problem would be solved by next year through the good agricultural policy of the NPP.

Dr Antwi accused the NDC for the current situation because it failed to engage in pragmatic agricultural policy and have turned round to embarrass the government.

Mr Kwame Osei-Prempeh, NPP-Nsuta-Kwamang, said the Minority was ridiculing themselves by calling on the government to adopt ad-hoc measures to influence food prices after they themselves who have been in power collapsed the agricultural sector.

He said the NDC misapplied the agricultural loans borrowed from outside.

Papa Owusu-Ankomah, the Deputy Majority Leader moving for adjournment of the House for debate to continue tomorrow said useful lessons were being learnt from the contributions and that time should be given to many members to continue with the debate.