The Vice Chairperson of the Parliamentary select committee on Mines and Energy, Hon. Elvis Morris Donkoh has expressed shock over the position of the minority caucus with regards to the utility tariffs increment which is expected to take effect from September 1.
According to him, the Minority was present when the PURC came to parliament to request that utility tariffs should be reviewed from 2022 to 2025 after the service providers had proposed some astronomical increment.
Speaking to Kwaku Dawuro on Movement In The Morning Show the lawmaker stated that ”we gave them the green light to go ahead but they should first meet the stakeholders involved to reach an agreement- so they did just that and returned to us in Parliament after the engagement of which the minority was around. The companies and agencies involved in water and energy also came to meet us in Parliament and made it known to us their proposed increment”.
”After several deliberations, we made it known to them that the ordinary Ghanaians will burn the brunt if the astronomical increment is approved and the country was equally faced with economic turbulence; and even a 100 per cent increase will bring untold hardship, so it must be reviewed”, he added.
He noted that even the Ranking Member on the committee from the side of the Minority, hon. John Jinapor had even insisted that these service providers be provided with their request. ”so I’m surprised at this sudden U-turn”.
”Let me also add that he’s been very cooperative during meetings though and I know the minority is doing this just to gain the sympathy of Ghanaians because they know what exactly went into the upward adjustment of utility tariffs”, he concluded.
This comes after the Minority in Parliament had said that with the benefit of the hugely anticipated $500,000 windfall from the country’s share of petroleum products, Ghanaians should have been cushioned from upward adjustments of utility tariffs in the face of the current economic hardship.
The caucus insists that the government can and must do something to cushion Ghanaians who are going through what they described as unimaginable hardships under the Akufo-Addo/ Bawumia led government.
This was contained in a statement issued on Monday, August 15 in reaction to the upward adjustments of utility tariffs.
