NO PETROL POLITICS, PLEASE (JUNE 10, 2009)

LAST Friday, the government announced a 30 per cent hike in the prices of petroleum products. Before the hike, the government was spending GH¢7 million fortnightly to subsidise petroleum products.
Although the government explained that it could no longer subsidise petroleum products because of lack of funds, members of the public are outraged by the upward adjustment in fuel prices.
The arguments for and against the adjustment suddenly moved from the realms of economics to politics and again the blame game set in between the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The Committee for Joint Action (CJA), a pressure group which opposed previous upward adjustments in fuel prices, consistent with its position, called on the government to review the prices.
The government subsequently announced fuel-saving measures by the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
The measures are geared towards reducing government expenditure on fuel by ministers and other officials by 30 per cent. The Information Minister, Mrs Zita Okaikoi, said as part of the measures, all government vehicles were to be rebranded in the names of the designated MDAs to check their misuse.
Further measures are in the offing, such as a ban on the importation of vehicles aged more than 10 years, because, according to a Deputy Minister of Energy, Dr Kwabena Donkor, 30 per cent of fuel imported into the country was wasted on old vehicles, particularly in traffic situation.
The argument has been made that the recent increases in the prices of petroleum products are to save the national economy from collapse. There is no denying the fact that our economy is in dire straits as a result of certain local policies and the global recession.
Dr Joe Oteng Adjei, Minister of Energy, stated that the total national debt inherited by the NDC administration was so huge that subsiding the price of petrol would be disastrous for the national economy.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that this is not the time for the blame game. We need, as a people, to come together to confront the challenges facing us so that, with a concerted effort, we can break the back of the obstacles that stand in the way of our progress.
It is also high time the government and other public officials put an end to the wastage in the system, particularly the high expenditure on petroleum products.
Example, they say, is better than precept and for this reason the DAILY GRAPHIC commends the government for not limiting the cost-saving measures to mere exhortation to the people to sacrifice but has set the tone by reducing petrol allocation to its functionaries.
But the moves will not achieve the desired results if the enforcement is left to the goodwill of those responsible for the public vehicles. The enforcement measures must include a policy to name and shame those who abuse the system to safeguard the public interest.
The DAILY GRAPHIC also believes that the agitation in certain quarters on the hike in the prices of petroleum products is not politically motivated. Majority of our people are struggling to make ends meet. For such people, who are mostly working people, including farmers, it is important for the government to put in place some safety nets to cushion them against the rising cost of living that will arise from the petrol price hikes.
We call on the people to support the government to achieve the objectives of the price hikes so that the savings that will be made can be used to update facilities in schools, hospitals and the rural areas and, more importantly, offset the debt at the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR).