The Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Obiri Yeboah has described as unproductive and unnecessary, claims by some members of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the Ghana Private Road Transport is sabotaging the Mahama-led government.
The National Propaganda Secretary of the NDC, Solomon Nkansah in an interview with Citi News’ Western Regional correspondent earlier said the GPRTU had failed to drastically reduce transport fares because of its strong affiliation with the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).
[contextly_sidebar id=”CPRDtTBSc5LzmqprPcQDigK3nDb0lrRd”]He said 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.”
However responding to Nkansah’s concerns on Eyewitness News, Obiri Yeboah explained that the claims were unfounded since a reduction in fuel prices does not necessarily mean a reduction in transport fares.
“Sometimes there is just no purpose at all to engage ourselves in such unproductive and unhealthy discussion. Unproductive and unhealthy in the sense that a mere reduction in the price of fuel does not necessarily mean that they should be a reduction in the price of lorry fares.
“When you are running a vehicle you use engine oil, tyres so it will be wrong to conclude that when there is a mere reduction in fuel, concomitantly, there should be a reduction in the price of fuel”
He wondered why Nkansah did not direct his concerns to the NDC members who are also members of the GPRTU board.
“There are some members of the GPRTU who are NDC members and why is he not directing his anger to those members.”
Some public transport operators have refused to implement the five percent reduction in transport fares as ordered by the sector Minister, Dzifa Ativor.
Commenting on the development, Obiri Yeboah clarified that the GPRTU had not reduced transport fares because the reduction in fuel prices was so minimal for transport operators to reduce fares.
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By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana