Where Does The NPP Really Belong? Bernard Mornah Quizzes

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has always been in opposition to several projects being initiated by the ruling National Democratic Congress for reasons that the party has failed to resolve the economic situation of Ghanaians. The NPP have since been recording the lapses by the Mahama-led government and its initiatives put in place to safeguard the citizenry. Reviewing government's activities in the 2013 fiscal year, the NPP in a report dubbed; "Government lived beyond its means", highlighted categorically some inadequacies of President John Mahama's administration. "You will recall ladies and gentlemen that 2013 was one year in which Ghanaians experienced one of the worst episodes of the dumso-dumso phenomenon. A consumers and businesses were trying to adjust to the severe energy crisis, the government (through the PURC) responded by increasing electricity and water tariffs. The initial increases were so high that it was met with protests by many stakeholders including the TUC. Accordingly government as it were �reduced the increase to around 59 % but promised to bring it back in 2014. True to its word Government has welcomed us to a� happy new year�, by increasing electricity tariffs by an additional 9 % this month. Is this a manifestation of the Better Ghana Agenda?" the NPP's report read. The party further noted that "in 2013 the Ghana cedi depreciated by almost 24% against the dollar. It is important to note that Hon. Fifi Kwetey in his address at the NDC forum said that the Ghana cedi had depreciated by only 5% against the dollar. We only hope that this was a slip of tongue from the former propaganda secretary of the NDC and "...also Ghana experienced an adverse terms of trade when the international prices of two of our major export commodities, gold and cocoa, declined significantly. This weakened our capacity to accumulate foreign exchange reserves, thereby putting more pressure on the Ghana cedi." But speaking on Radio Gold's "Alhaji and Alhaji" on Saturday, the General Secretary of the People's National Convention (PNC), Bernard Mornah has downplayed the assertions by the NPP. According to him, the issues broached by the opposition party, wavers in its principles. He added that the NPP finds it difficult to believe in themselves and their decisions. He described the NPP as a party that portrays itself as opposers of government's decisions especially in the area of removing subsidies on commodities, particularly petroleum products when in actual fact, it is not a "subsidy-believing" party. Bernard Mornah avowed that the NPP wondered why the party dissents to the idea of government removing subsidies on products when it is not the �biggest fan� of the imposition of subsidies. �Indeed, they don�t believe in subsidy. So, all of a sudden, if government is taking away the subsidies particularly on petroleum products and ensuring that people pay for full cost recovery, you expect that the NPP to come and start applauding because that is what they have always preached. Now, when they are doing what the NPP think is right, they come and say that, no, watch them; �they are doing something that we don�t want�. �So, where do they belong? Are they for full cost recovery or they are not?�