Akufo-Addo must be sensitive to plight of Ghanaians - Prince Mba

Mr Prince Bagnaba Mba, President of Forum for Equity, a Human rights organisation has appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to give a listening ear to the complaints and plight of Ghanaians in order to succeed.

“Ghanaians voted you into power for various reasons, and it is only fair that you listen to them and find solutions to their complaints and plights as good governance is about paying attention to the governed for proper feedback.”

Mr Mba who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra said one area that the President could aptly work out to make Ghanaians more comfortable was to intervene in the frequent increases in Petroleum products.

He said although Ghana was practising the deregulation system in the sector, government could still intervene with other measures that would reduce the financial burdens of ordinary Ghanaians, as increases in the products affected every level of production.

“Citizenship is like a patient on a sick bed, for he knows better where the pain is and I will therefore appeal to the President to intervene, as we are severely feeling the pain as a result of the frequent increases.
“We know there is deregulation, but government can intervene by reducing certain taxes that will subsequently reflect in the pocket of the ordinary man.”

Mr Mba also called on President Akufo-Addo’s administration to thoroughly reform and implement good rent laws to make Ghanaians living in urban areas more comfortable.

He said although statutorily, landlords and landladies were supposed to take not more than six months of rent advance, most of them were flouting the laws with impunity and even taking between three and five years rent advance from tenants.

“We need to reform the tenancy laws as most people spend all their annual earnings on accommodation in their various cities. How can workers pay the school fees of their wards if they continue spending their earnings on rents?
He said it was difficult for most people to build in the urban areas due to factors such as land disputes, multiple sales of land and if rents were also deterrent, it could create a lot of discontent among more Ghanaians.

Mr Mba called on the opposition political party members to criticise government constructively by offering alternatives rather than making statements without corrective measures to government.

“Governance is about give and take and every country that has a strong opposition in parliament puts the government on its toes to perform responsibly, but if we only talk without offering alternatives we make the government to see us as talkatives.”