Enforce ban on used refrigerators

We are of this view because as the government takes action to clamp down on importers of used refrigerators, dealers in the fridges are still engaged in brisk business.  

The people who have assessed our national psyche over time are able to circumvent the law to their advantage, while the law enforcement agencies look on helplessly.

If that is not the case, then one wonders why some of our compatriots are able to build on water courses, for instance, or erect structures on land reserved for public use.

Even the rigmarole that has accompanied the enforcement of Legislative Instrument (LI) 1932 of 2008 that prohibits the importation of used refrigerators and similar electrical appliances attests to the lack of the political will to enforce the law.

We are told that after the passage of the law in 2008, a two-year moratorium was given for its implementation, but in 2010, when the time was due to enforce the law, the importers of refrigerators were said to have requested for more time.

We concede that the task ahead of the government stopping the importers completely from bringing in used refrigerators will be a Herculean one, but the task force must be resolute in cracking the whip on the deviants in society.

Now, the importation of the used refrigerators does not only put a strain on energy consumption and personal electricity bills but also puts pressure on the national grid.

The cost of new refrigerators is beyond the pockets of many Ghanaians and this explains why the policy by the government to get people to trade off their old refrigerators for energy efficient ones has not achieved the desired result.

Perhaps the government should consider reviewing the present level of GH¢200 rebate upwards to motivate owners of old refrigerators to participate in the initiative.

Be that as it may, reports that the government has seized 45 containers of imported refrigerators at the Tema Harbour must give hope that some action will be taken to enforce the ban.

The Daily Graphic calls on the people, especially importers, to support this initiative to achieve the desired goal.

In the same vein, the government should look at the trade-off policy for a possible review in order to attract maximum co-operation from users of old refrigerators.