2009 Budget: MP cries foul

The Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Mr. Atta Akyea, is crying foul ahead of government's presentation of the 2009 Budget, claiming information available to him suggests the government plans to deceive the people.

He claims that the ruling National Democratic Congress government plans fuel price cuts in the budget, but in a month, the same government would be returning to the people with an excuse that global market prices do not advise sustaining the supposed 'comfortable prices' and thereby revert to 'realistic' prices.

Ahead of the budget presentation to parliament by the Finance Minister, Dr. Kwabena Duffour, the MP and some of his colleagues of the Minority were addressing a press conference to put across their suspicions, and told Citi FM the government would be taking the 'populist' action to score cheap political points.

“Some information that I have is to the effect that the budget is about to be delivered and the government is about to play with the intelligence of the Ghanaian people to score political points. It is to the effect that the price of petroleum will be reduced. Petrol will experience a reduction of five percent and then diesel and kerosene will be 10 percent.

“This will be to satisfy the whims and caprices of the Committee for Joint Action and also to meet the populist stance that the president took that he is going to reduce the price of petroleum drastically. The embarrassing aspect of what we are hearing, and we hope it is not true, is that after they've done this within a month or so, they would come back and announce that it is having a biting effect on the economy and therefore they have to restore the prices of petroleum to some realistic levels. I have said and I believe this is not true, but if the government should come out with this political gimmick, it will not do well for the economy and also the wellbeing of the people of Ghana.”

Story by Isaac Yeboah