NDC Man Insults Ghanaians

National Democratic Congress (NDC) communication team member, Eric Ametor Quarmyne, has passed a comment to the effect that vehicle owners can ride bicycles to work if they cannot afford the high cost of fuel.

He made the remark last Monday on Asempa FM's 'Ekosii Sen?' news analysis programme.

Ametor Quarmyne, who retired from the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) as deputy director of corporate communications and was re-engaged as consultant in the same organization said, 'If you think you can't afford the real cost of fuel, then I think one of the ways of demonstrating an opposition to the increment is to ride bicycles to work.'

He said those protesting against the current prices of petroleum products could show their displeasure by boycotting the product, rather than attacking persons in authority – whether in government or the opposition.

He said the practice where motorists abandoned their vehicles and used bicycles was common in other jurisdictions particularly, the United Kingdom, and said Ghanaians could follow their example.

'In those cultures where bicycle riding is common, there are bike routes but in Ghana Ametor Quarmyne's prescription is not feasible and rather insulting the motoring public,' observed a top politician who did not want to be mentioned.

Ametor Quarmyne was of the opinion that those protesting the prices were talking too much and declared his support for the Minority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu whom some of his party members accused of being ineffective.

The price of crude oil on the global market continues to fall rapidly and as at yesterday, it had dropped to $46 a barrel, with some financial experts predicting a further reduction in the price of the product.

In spite of a fall in the price of the product, the government, through the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), is adamant about a further reduction after the initial 10 percent decrease last week which majority of the public said was inadequate.

NDC communicators, majority of who were members of the defunct Committee for Joint Action (CJA) led by Kwesi Pratt, staged countless demonstrations against the prices of petroleum products when the then New Patriotic Party (NPP) government was in office. They took advantage of the situation to bring the NDC into office.

However, the same people are now mounting a spirited defence on behalf of the government and are not ready to countenance any member of the public who calls for a further reduction in the prices of petroleum products – having dropped from $115 to $46.

President John Mahama has said the prices wouldn't be reduced further and recently announced that his government was in the process of establishing what he called 'Fuel Mitigation Fund' to take care of a future increment of prices of the product

By William Yaw Owusu