Stop blaming government for what is not its responsibility – Kwadwo Poku to Ghanaians
Kwadwo Poku, Executive Director of the Institute of Energy Policies and Research has said that he does not subscribe to the school of thought which expects the government to be pressured to intervene in the cost of fuel.
During an interview, on Citi TV, he argued that “we are not a socialist country”.
“Have you seen the private sector employers increasing salaries for their workers? They are not. So why are we all now looking at government,” Mr Poku asked
“Why are we all blaming the government for the hardship and the private sector is not being blamed,” he added.
Despite the government has championed public interventions such as the Free Secondary Education Policy or subsidized fertilisers for farmers, Mr Poku said it was no justification for the demand towards the state.
“It doesn’t make it right for us to keep blaming the government for things it is not should not be blamed for,” he added.
The government has over the years been urged to remove taxes and margins on petroleum products which amount to over GH¢2, to cushion fuel consumers.
Globally, the war in Ukraine has driven fuel prices upwards all year.
The increases in fuel prices are expected to increase into 2023 due to disruptions to Russian oil supplies coupled with refineries struggling to meet demand because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Poku argued that Ghana was a victim of a global problem, like other countries.
“Ghana has a peculiar situation. The only small peculiar situation is the FX. Today, if you look at the price at the pump, the FX makes up about 25 per cent as of the last analysis.”
