Mills, Ndc, An Unscrupulous bunch; What a Vindication!

By Kwadwo Poku

When Mills led NDC fraudulently hiked fuel prices early this year, I went to press exposing the motive behind it, by posting a piece titled MIlls, Ndc, An unscrupulous bunch. So when I read that a court has ordered the National Petroleum Authority and Tema Oil Refinery to scrap ex- refinery tax imposed on Ghanaians without parliamentary approval, I felt vindicated. You see, I Knew without a sniff of a doubt that the price hikes were politically motivated and that prior to 2012 election, the price will go down to make Mills and the Ndc look good. But little did I know that a court will acknowledge the fraud and subsequently order the Government agencies (NPA & TOR) to scrap the tax imposed on the impoverished Ghanaian for political gainsmanship. Below is the entire piece .

Ghanaweb Feb. 8, 2011. Mills, Ndc, An Unscrupulous Bunch

For the past couple of weeks, columnists as well as commentators who are grammatically dexterous than yours truly have waxed eloquent on the cataclysmic announcement of the recent fuel price hikes by the Mills led administration. They've theorized and have brought to bear the sufferings of our love ones back home by our unscrupulous politicians, so there will be no need for a redundant piece on the subject. But to illuminate by way of an addendum to the subject, is to point out the real motive behind the price hikes. Kufuor's administration was equally guilty in this regard. They also used the same previous administration's left behind debt excuse. I quite remember after hiking fuel price by nearly 100% in 2003, one of Kufuor's ministers urged clergymen to educate their flocks by likening taxes to tithes. But, you see that was then. In the advent of the oil rich nation status that God has favored us with, how do you justify this 30% price hike?

In his recent press conference, Mills came out with a tosh excuse when asked about the price hikes. He said the NPP should apologize to the nation for leaving a debt of 1.5 billion dollars, which as a result precipitated the price hikes. Mills, please save this balderdash for your unborn grandchildren. Three weeks after the commencement of productions at jubilee fields and a couple of days before the first production was to be exported for sale, a hike on fuel price? What do you take us for? Let us assume his reason for the price hike is plausible, but then the question is begged to be asked why wait two years after assuming office to come out with this cock and bull story. The BBC recently announced that Jubilee Fields is to net a revenue of one billion dollars per annum for the nation. So where is the justification for this painful act on the impoverished Ghanaian? But you see, like I alluded earlier, there is a motive for this dastardly act. This is a tendentious move on the part of the NDC to fool the nation, and I'm sorry to say this stratagem may work.

About a year to six months prior to the 2012 elections, Mills will tell the nation he's been able to pay off the deficit left by the NPP, and will reduce fuel prices by 35-40%, but the sordid and morbid reality is that because political illiteracy abounds in the nation, the gullible Ghanaian will buy this fiddle-de-dee and vote the NDC back to power. They will be oblivious to the placation of the Mills administration by their ignorance of government, and as a result will dance to the ballot box for Mills. Let's not forget, Mills who wastes no time in letting the world know how righteous and incorruptible he is, lied through his teeth when he promised to reduce fuel prices during the presidential campaign. He portrayed himself as one who identified and related to the sufferings of Ghanaians by presenting NPP and Akufo Addo as being disconnected from the vicissitudes of the nation.

Mills has proven to be a tax and spend President who's devoid of scruples for the nation. After entrusting the entire nation in the hands of this self righteous man, who from day one has been 'eyephonecating' for the Mo Ibrahim Presidential Award, Ghanaians have become expendable to the NDC party, and are struggling whiles they continue to live in uncertainty. Regardless of how one slices or dices it, Ghana remains a poor nation, so a tax and spend style of governance will not work. In a recent statistics released by Stanbic Bank, it was reported over 80% of the population don't even have bank accounts, they live from hand to mouth. The economy is over heated and it's become so expensive to survive. Today, you can not purchase a decent house in Accra for a $100,000. A friend returned recently and lamented on how costly things are and wondered how the average Ghanaian survives. This is happening as the Mills led NDC, mortgages our oil money in the guise of building our infrastructure. The loquacious Kwesi Pratt's comments were to the apropos when he succinctly questioned whether we are to starve to death before the so called infrastructure comes to fruition.

What ails no end is the fact that the price hikes are fastidiously geared towards the 2012 elections. It is politically motivated to make Mills and the NDC look good when prices drops before the next elections. But it's my utmost cry that Ghanaians acknowledge the insensitivities on the part of this detached administration. What a 'crude' awakening.

Kwadwo Poku N Y