NDC condemns proposed increases in tariffs

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Wednesday condemned the proposed increases in the water and electricity tariffs and Called on the government to reflect on the conditions of Ghanaians because water and electricity were vital to life.

This was contained in a statement in Accra and signed by Dr Nii Josiah-Aryeh, General Secretary of the party. The statement said the rich and poor, institutions and individuals were equally affected by supplies of these utilities and, therefore, high and rising tariffs were bound to impact negatively on households and the margins of returns of companies.

"When passed on to consumers by companies in the form of higher prices,the hikes in tariffs would make the ordinary citizen worse off," it said. The statement said it was a fundamental obligation for the government to mitigate the harsh effects of policies on the weaker members of society and to continually ensure that the activities of private companies did not result in the denial of access to the vital utilities.

The NDC said while expressing its utmost opposition to the privatisation of utilities, it must draw attention to the danger of government developing policies that only resulted in profits to friends in business without regard to the plight of the electorate. It said, "a wall of secrecy seemed to have been erected around the award of contracts for the privatisation of utilities and "for zero tolerance" to be meaningful, we urge government to ensure absolute transparency in contracts for procurement".

The statement said democracy ought to ensure cumulative progress and gains for the people. It said while the NDC was in power, the government systematically spread the benefits of water and electricity to the remotest parts of the country.

"It would be sad if the policies of a successor regime were to result in the reversal of these gains. We are aware of condemnations of the proposed increases by well-meaning Ghanaians. A caring government must respond by intervening to stop the increases," it said.