After 500% Increases In Fuel Prices In 5yrs...

... Four Huge Demos Coming!

The Committee for Joint Action (CJA) has announced that it is going to organise four huge simultaneous demonstrations across the county on Tuesday 16th May 2006.

According to the CJA, the four simultaneous demonstarions are a response to the calls of the people from across the country for amore confrontational stance against the inhuman policies of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

At a well attended press conference yesterday addressed by Mr. Kwesi Pratt Jnr, who is a leading member of the organisation, millions of Ghanaians across the country were concerned about the escalating hardships in the country. According to the CJA, the message it consistently receives is that isolated monthly protest marches and long speeches will not demonstrate enough to the recalcitrant New Patriotic Party government just how unpopular their policies are and how determined the people are to bring this nightmare to an end.

?Citizens want a more resolute, sustained and sharpened confrontation with the Kufuor administration over hardship issues. They want to escalate the expression of our anger. In response to public urgings the ?wahala? movement will move into higher gear than before. We will commence phase II of our campaign with simultaneous ?wahala? demonstration in Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and Techiman.

The D-day is Tuesday May 16th 2006,? stated Mr. Pratt.

CJA to demonstrate on May 16 against high fuel price hikes

Accra May 12, GNA - The Committee for Joint Action (CJA), a politico-economic pressure group, has criticised the recent increase in prices of petroleum products and announced that it would embark on a demonstration on May 16, 2006 to register its protest against the fuel price hikes.

The Committee in a release in Accra said there was no justification for the petroleum price increases announced on May 3, 2006 that had spelled the doom of and threatened domestic industry; brought psychological stress on workers; tension at lorry stations and a knock on effect on all other goods and services.

The release noted that in five years the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) had increased petrol prices by 500 per cent and the prices of diesel, kerosene and pre-mix had also gone up by similar margins. The Committee accused the NPP Government, headed by President John Kufuor, of not telling Ghanaians the truth about oil prices and that it was a lie that the increases, which were passed on to consumers, were as a result of increases in world crude oil prices. The Committee acknowledge that indeed since 2000, crude oil prices had increased from 32 dollars a barrel to last week's price of 75 dollars per barrel.

It, however, said the increase in world crude oil price came to only 134 per cent while the increase in ex-pump price had gone up by 500 per cent since 2001.

The Committee accused the Government of using high fuel taxes to finance the opulent lifestyles of Government functionaries, adding that the money was simply being used in unaccountable ways by the Leadership of the State.

The Committee called on drivers, workers, students and other identifiable bodies to join the May 16, 2006 demonstration.