Asamoah-Boateng: There is no pressure on government

Information Minister Stephen Asamoah-Boateng has disputed notions that government may be under pressure to make a political decision rather than an economically prudent one in intervening in the spiralling cost of living in the country.

And even if there is any pressure, it may be because of the petroleum price hikes which he said were not foreseen.

Mr Asamoah-Boateng said these when he responded to comments that government may be under pressure to make a political decision rather than an economically prudent one in salvaging the currently skyrocketing fuel prices in the country brought on by oil price hikes on the world market.

Some political analysts have been pitching opinions that the sub-committee set up by government to explore various options available to mitigate the situation is more likely to make a decision to satisfy the whims and caprices of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), especially, in an election year.

But Mr Boateng in an interview with Joy News said government is focussed and would churn out the best alternative that would be in the common interest of the citizenry.

“We've been listening but we also want to avoid a situation where we make political decisions that would derail some of the economic gains that we've had, so we are going to do a balancing act.”

Even though he was tight-lipped about the highlights of the proposals put forward by the presidential sub-committee so far he said the impact of the global fuel prices had been at the core of discussions.

Meanwhile the President John Agyekum Kufuor will on Thursday address the nation to announce government's plans to intervene in the matter.

Story by Fiifi Koomson