Former Chairman of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) and Economist Kwame Pianim says the decision by successive governments to kowtow to public pressure and reducing fuel prices would have long term adverse effects on the growth of the country.
Mr. Pianim in an interview with Citi News said most of the people who complain of hardships were either unemployed or those who earn very little hence the need for them to ask government to create more jobs instead of crying for subsidies.
He says Ghana as a developing country needs a leader who can take tough decisions devoid of political interests for sustained development.
The former PURC Chairman said Ghanaians as a whole are to blame for the current situation of a country which is struggling to grow in a competitive world.
He says calls for subsidies on fuel prices and other commodities would be detrimental to the country’s economic growth.
According to him, countries that have developed did not necessarily subsidize prices of commodities to ease pressure on their citizens but rather built key sectors such as education, health and industry amongst others to create more employment.
His comments come on the back of increased calls on government to reverse the recent 25 to 30 percent increments in fuel prices which has forced pressure group Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) to stage a demonstration.
“To tell government to spend money on subsidizing fuel doesn’t help anybody. You and I are who we are not because Government subsidized fuel, water or electricity for our parents. It was because Government put together an education system that we were able to go through it. That is what we need and not fuel or electricity subsidies. I think the demonstrations are misdirected. They should rather be directed at lack of quality education, health and all that” he said.
“Since the demonstrators are feeling hardship, they should rather tell government to put the money where it will build infrastructure and train a lot of engineers who will create jobs through construction and other means and not wasting the money on fuel subsidies” he said.
“Educating our citizens means that they have to be able to force politicians to make realistic choices. Ghanaians should realise that we are our own enemies because we force politicians to do the wrong things instead of forcing them to take realistic and tough-minded decisions that are good for us in the long-term. We need long-term decisions instead of short-term reliefs,” he emphasized.