GRi in Parliament
Ghana 20 - 06 - 2001
NDC
is sincere about high food prices - Minority
Accra
(Greater Accra) 20 June 2001
The
Minority on Tuesday said it has moral and civic obligation to ask the
government to address the current escalation of food prices and this move
should not be considered as castigation of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) by the
National Democratic Congress (NDC).
It said the
Majority's stand that the economy would have to improve at a distance future
when food prices would stabilise was to say that the hungry people of this
country must defer their hunger to a better day.
Dr Kwabena
Adjei, NDC-Biakoye, said the earlier the government took steps to bring the
food prices down to meet the people's pocket the better it would be "for
all of us in the Minority and the Majority and the nation at large since hunger
knows no political barrier".
He was
contributing to an on-going debate in Parliament on an NDC motion, which says:
"That this House views with serious concern the current escalating prices
of foodstuffs and urges the government to take immediate steps to arrest the
situation."
The motion
stands in the names of Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, Avenor, Mr John Akologo Tia,
Talensi and Dr Alfred Tia, Nalerigu, all of NDC.
Four NPP
members co-sponsored an amendment to the original motion saying:
"Conscious of the strenuous efforts currently being made by government to
improve the economy, urges government to remain steadfast in this pursuit in
order to revamp the agricultural sector and stabilise food prices".
It stands
in the name of Mr Abraham Ossei-Aidooh, Tema West, Mr Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu,
Old Tafo-Suame, Mr Kwame Osei Prempeh, Nsuta-Kwamang and
Mr Samuel
Balado Manu, Ahafo Ano South.
Dr Adjei
described the amendment motion as insensitive to the plight of Ghanaians and
completely incompetent.
"If
nothing is done about the situation and the amendment motion is allowed to stay
it will lead to restiveness among the people and it will not create a conducive
atmosphere for all politicians, given that we the NDC were accused of
incompetence and were voted out of power".
Saying that
his mouth "is not a gun", Dr Adjei said if the NPP did not address
the plight of the people they should not blame the NDC for not advising them
when they also are voted out of power in the next four years.
He said it
was not too late for the NPP to go back to those traders, who it engineered to
manipulate prices during the just ended electioneering campaign.
Dr Adjei
said the government could just appeal to the people to bear with it in the face
of the hardships and ask them "to hold their guns".
He asked
the government to take a cue from an article written by Professor Max Asimeh in
the defunct Legon Observer, August 27, 1969 issue that says: "Ghanaians
are expectant and have the tendency to be impatient and prefer short-cut to
political and economic cornucopia."
He said
this explains the country's historical events leading to political unrest from
Burns Constitution to the present era are attributable to escalation of prices.
Mr Kosi
Kedem, NDC-Hohoe South, said the hunger issue should be look at dispassionately
and irrespective of the fact that the country has declared itself as being a
Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC). Just as the former Prime Minister, Dr Kofi
Abrefa Busia's dictum that "Kafo Didi," the poor must eat.
Supporting
the NPP amendment motion, Dr Matthew Kwaku Antwi, Deputy Minister of Food and
Agriculture and MP for Atwima-Kwanwoma asked the NDC to withdraw the motion
because since the NPP came into power about five months ago no food have been
harvested to warrant stable prices.
He said if
the motion was withdrawn it could then be brought a year after if the same
situation persisted, adding the problem would be solved by next year through
the good agricultural policy of the NPP.
Dr Antwi
accused the NDC for the current situation because it failed to engage in
pragmatic agricultural policy and have turned round to embarrass the
government.
Mr Kwame
Osei-Prempeh, NPP-Nsuta-Kwamang, said the Minority was ridiculing themselves by
calling on the government to adopt ad-hoc measures to influence food prices
after they themselves who have been in power collapsed the agricultural sector.
He said the
NDC misapplied the agricultural loans borrowed from outside.
Papa
Owusu-Ankomah, the Deputy Majority Leader moving for adjournment of the House
for debate to continue tomorrow said useful lessons were being learnt from the
contributions and that time should be given to many members to continue with
the debate.
GRi../
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