News:
January 10, 2011
New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for Akim Abuakwa South Constituency in the Eastern Region, Samuel Atta Akyea says the NDC Government must be ashamed for politicizing increments in fuel prices while in opposition.
He said contrary to the NDC’s promise to reduce fuel prices to the barest minimum upon assumption of office, it is rather doing otherwise.
Mr. Atta Akyea, who told Citi News he was not against the recent thirty percent increase in the prices of petroleum products, says issues of fuel prices must be devoid of politics since it sometimes becomes extremely necessary to increase the prices to meet national needs.
He cautioned all political parties particularly the NDC and NPP to desist from playing politics with fuel in the future.
“If you are not very careful you might think that the NDC government is disgraced because the NDC had a manifesto in which they said they were not going to increase petroleum prices. Immediately Professor Mills gave his first State of the Nation Address and the Budget was brought, petrol prices were increased. That is to say they are not very realistic. They are people who enjoy propaganda”.
“Petrol prices should be increased if it will assist the overall economy so we don’t have to play politics with the economy. If it is necessary for petrol prices to be increased for the revenue to be used to solve problems of the nation then it should be so increased. It is very bad and it doesn’t bode well for government to play politics with fuel and transportation. It is a huge embarrassment for the NDC government” he noted.
Mr. Atta Akyea’s comment follows President Mills’ call on the NPP to apologise to Ghanaians for the recent thirty percent fuel price hike which he says is as a result of the huge debts of the Tema Oil Refinery racked up by the Kufuor administration.
Reacting to the NPP’s call on him to apologize to Ghanaians for reneging on his promise of reducing fuel prices “drastically”, President Mills said “the NPP needs to apologise to the people of Ghana for leaving the Gh¢1.488 billion debt toll.
He asked the NPP what it was able to do with the TOR Debt Recovery Levy.
President Mills said this while he was answering questions posed to him by journalists at the Castle, Osu.
He explained that apart from the rising crude oil prices, the major reason for the recent increase in the prices of petroleum products is as a result of the GH¢1.488 billion debt left behind by the NPP.
President Mills further noted that his exact promise on petroleum prices has been misconstrued and twisted by the NPP to score cheap political points.
Source: Citi fm