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Dumsor—An Albatross

Feature Article Dumsor—An Albatross
MAY 20, 2015 LISTEN

One of the major challenges facing the Mahama administration currently is the energy crisis popularly referred to as Dumsor. According to a survey carried out by the Institute of Economic Affairs, thirty four (34) percent of businesses in the country laid-off workers in the last six months due to the power crisis and other economic challenges.

This kind of report should be a matter of concern to every well meaning Ghanaian including the President. With the high rate of unemployment and an economy which is mostly dependent on foreign donor partners, the current crisis if not nip in the bud might create more challenges for the other businesses who are trying to survive under this difficult situation.

The President on countless occasions has assured Ghanaians of his commitment to find a lasting solution to the problem. It is a known fact that Dumsor predates the current NDC administration, various governments since 1992 have all encountered this challenge, the leaders were able to manage themselves out of that predicament but the same cannot be said of the current NDC government,. The various dates promised for the solution of this crisis and the seemingly lack of ideas from the Minister of Power to solve the current energy situation is causing a lot of pain to Ghanaians.

The recent vigil held by a section of celebrities to register their protest on the way government is handling the issue is a reflection of how the ordinary Ghanaian is suffering due to the crisis. Hairdressers, tailors and small scale businesses are folding up in these hard times due to the inability of the government to provide a basic necessity like power to the citizenry.

The brouhaha generated on social media and in the media by some of the celebrities when they announced their intention to protest against the situation shows how intolerant some government officials and sympathisers of the ruling NDC can be. The insult and taunting from people in high positions who are been paid with our taxes was just unfortunate.

Under the current democratic dispensation, every citizen is guaranteed the right to demonstrate, so why should some few bigots in the ruling party denigrate and ridicule people who are not happy with government’s handling of the situation? I followed some of the banter between some of these celebrities and sympathisers of the NDC on social media, I must say I was very disappointed in the way the two parties handled this issue on social media.

The inability of these parties to engage in a healthy debate on the issue but rather use insults and abuses to settle arguments show how intolerant the Ghanaian can be. I must however commend the Police for ensuring that the vigil was held in a peaceful manner even though there were some few hecklings on people perceived to be members of the NDC.

The #dumsormustend vigil is over and as some people posited earlier, it has not added a megawatt of electricity to the current generation capacity. Yes it is true that it never added any unit to the existing capacity, but one cannot underestimate the message it sent to the government. The success of the vigil was a clear indication to the government that the people who elected them are not happy with how they are handling issues in this country.

It has also revealed that the middle class would want to move away from their comfort zone and ensure that the leaders do what is expected of them. I must congratulate Yvonne Nelson and the few others who made this happen. My appeal to them is to do more in this direction to make sure that Dumsor really ends. The celebrities can also start an energy conservation campaign by educating the public on the need to conserve energy. This is the only way that their campaign against Dumsor can be of immense benefit to this nation.

The nation is in a critical state with this energy crisis and the earlier we all think of an effective way of ending Dumsor, the better it would be for all of us. Government is suppose to do all at its disposal to end Dumsor but it is not out of place for us as individuals, groups and think tanks to help the government to solve this problem.

The NDC government announced the installation of prepaid meters at the various ministries, departments and agencies in other to regulate the efficient use of energy, what has happened to this policy? Are our Ministers and other government officials paying for the electricity they consume at home?

Currently the security forces have all been placed on the single spine salary structure; this has resulted in an improved condition of service for the various security services. The current trend where security personnel buy deep freezers and use it to do sachet water business must be checked, all the police and military barracks must also be fixed with prepaid meters.

The government should also consider investing in alternative energy projects like solar and biogas. The government recently announced its intention to use the human waste generated at the various campuses to produce power. This can also be extended to the barracks and other densely populated areas.

The government should also think of how best they can make the Electricity Corporation of Ghana an effective and efficient organisation. More independent power producers should be encouraged to invest in the energy sector.

Public servants and other personnel charged with the responsibility of maintaining the equipments that produce power should ensure a regular maintenance regime. The Ghanaian should develop a positive attitude towards government property and a good culture of maintenance.

Street lights must be regulated in such a way that, the lights are turn off or go off automatically in the morning, the situation where most of the street lights are left on during day time must be a thing of the past. People assigned to ensure that these lights are off every morning must be held accountable when they fail to perform their jobs.

As citizens we also have a role to play. Most households abuse the power supplied to them by the Electricity Company of Ghana. We must always ensure that we put off electrical appliances that are not in use. Switch off lights during the day and also ensure that we minimise the use appliances that consume a lot of power. The era where lights are left on during the day should be a thing of the past.

We must also report unpatriotic citizens who engage in illegal connections and other activities that may result in the loss of power to the appropriate authorities.

The media cannot be left out of this campaign to end dumsor, as organisations that are also affected by the current situation; the media would play an important role by collaborating with other stakeholders to educate the citizenry on how best to conserve energy.

Dumsor must end and must end now not in the shortest possible time.

Mustapha Jimah
[email protected]
Department of Communication and Media Studies

University of Education, Winneba.
Winneba.

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