Occupy Ghana rejects fuel price increase
OccupyGhana on Wednesday expressed its rejection of the nine per cent increase in fuel prices, in the face of the aggravated economic malaise supervised and imposed on the ordinary Ghanaian.
This was made known in a statement issued and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.
The statement said the tax imposition came barely 24 hours after the dumsor must stop vigil led by some celebrities.
It did not recall any reasonable official explanation for the failure of government to pass on a significant amount of the 50% fall in global price of crude to the consumer.
It added that a 10% reduction was effected by government albeit grudgingly, and we had still not been told how much savings government made of a rather illicit blessing to reduce its so-called forex losses and debts to oil importers.
If as suggested, this 9% price hike was to offset further depreciation of the cedi against major currencies, the answer lied in better economic management, not wanton panicky measures, the statement pointed out..
According to the statement, after several decades of tolerating the underhand tactics employed by the National Petroleum Authority and the government in deciding to meddle in fuel pricing, this nine per cent increase in fuel prices should be condemned in no uncertain terms by all well-meaning Ghanaians who are battling with the misfortunes of Dumsor, but not limited to unplanned individual and corporate expenditure on buying and fueling generators for businesses and daily household activities.
The statement reminded Ghanaians of the fact that the price we had to pay for fuel was protected by law (The National, Petroleum Authority Act 2005, Act 691) and LI 2186), and as such, required full and detailed disclosure of the formula applied in arriving at adjusted prices, and that OccupyGhana was yet to see any gazetted notices to that effect.
OccupyGhana was of the view that even if the political economy of the current situation demanded some rescuing of the badly managed economy, clearly it could not be obtained through economic subterfuge.
It appealed to the National Petroleum Authority to give Ghanaians the full cost buildup of fuel, especially with respect to the calculation of the Ex-refinery price, as it believed that the calculation was not done with reference to the current prevailing price of crude oil on the international market.
OccupyGhana urged government to be sensitive to the plight of Ghanaians and refrain from making it worse, adding that in these Dumsor times, the situation brought about by the mismanagement of the economy must be corrected.
OccupyGhana further urged government to reverse the recently introduced increases in fuel prices, and desist from any further fuel price increment until the Dumsor crisis was over.
OccupyGhana urged all well-meaning Ghanaians to reject the increase in fuel prices, and express their displeasure at the blatant disregard for the dictates of the law as regards fuel pricing. Ghanaians must wear their voices.
Source: GNA