The governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) is accusing leadership of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) of sabotaging the Mahama-led government by failing to drastically reduce transport fares following the 10% reduction in petroleum prices.
The party is also alleging that the national leadership of the GPRTU has a strong affiliation with the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) hence, their hostility towards the NDC government.
[contextly_sidebar id=”zW1aG2Pi3ggyIy0uaGxlDiiFoEBSKqME”]Some public transport operators have refused to implement the five percent reduction in transport fares.
Although the sector Minister Dzifa Ativor has served notice her outfit will collaborate with the GPRTU to ensure a strict adherence to the directive, the situation still persists.
The NDC National Propaganda Secretary, Solomon Nkansah in an interview with Citi News’ Western Regional correspondent, Obrempong Yaw Ampofo said the leadership of the GPRTU has allowed their partisan affiliations to influence their decision making.
He recalled that in the first year of former President Kufuor’s regime, “the NPP first increased fuel by 64% and GPRTU was made to increase fares by 15%. The following period, they increased fuel by 94% and GPRTU was made to increase fares by 20% so what has changed?”
Mr. Nkansah questioned why the GPRTU has been “hostile to this government? If you take away their partisan concentration, their connivance with the NPP, what else?”
According to him, the GPRTU’s Greater Accra Regional chairman has on several occasions lost NPP primaries in one of the Ablekuma constituencies therefore, “what will be his interest in reducing lorry fares?”
The NDC’s Propaganda Secretary deduced that transport fares are reduced, “it will make the Mahama government very popular so they will drag their feet and say five percent which in actual sense will become insignificant.”
Mr. Nkansah also attacked the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for also failing to comment on the five percent reduction in transport fares.
He asked, “have you heard the TUC staging a demonstration against the GPRTU for not reducing fares?”
“Government has reduced prices by 10 percent but they have not reciprocated in a manner which is of any essence and the TUC is not on the street demonstrating against GPRTU and calling on Ghanaians to abandon ‘trotro’ and walking to work to force GPRTU to reduce the prices.”
By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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