The general secretary of the Ghana Medical Association Dr. Justice Yamson has urged President Akufo-Addo and his government to work to resolve the hardships Ghanaians are facing now.
According to him, claims by the President that government is working to improve conditions of Ghanaians in the long-run is untenable since all Presidents, since the 4th republic, have made similar claims.
The President in an address to the Ghanaian community at New York, USA, Monday made reference to the depreciation of the local currency, Cedi, and conceded that things are difficult in Ghana but his government is working to resolve the economic hardships.
“We have to approach the foreign exchange matter medium to long-term by expanding our supply base, that’s not a crisis…they’re difficulties the system would be able to accommodate…”
“It’s a difficult situation, but a difficult situation also requires some amount of fortitude and firm action and that’s what we are trying to do at home,” he said.
Speaking to Francis Abban on the Morning Starr Tuesday, the GMA general secretary said Ghanaians no longer believe politicians when they ask them to tighten their belt.
“I cannot be grateful when I am paying more for fuel when I expect to pay less. They keep telling us to tighten our belt but until when?
“These days when we hear some of these things it becomes worrying, if he can give us times lines then yes, but for now we want things to get better, not later,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) is on the neck of government to cut certain levies contributing to rampant increase in fuel prices.
Fuel prices at the pumps have shot up to GHC5 per litre causing a lot of public uproar with the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) asserting government is being insensitive to Ghanaians.
In a statement, the umbrella body of labour unions in Ghana said the Akufo-Addo led administration must halt the price increment as promised in the NPP manifesto when it was in opposition.
“The TUC urges government to scrap some of the taxes on fuel prices to cushion Ghanaians. Also government must look into the various margins and their impact on fuel pricing. At current levels, fuel prices have reached an unsustainable peak for Ghanaian workers and their families. As workers, we can longer afford any further increase. Government must do everything it can to halt further increases,” the TUC said in a statement.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM
