Demonstration on tariff hike records low turn-out

The demonstration organised by the Truth and Accountability Forum (TAF) on the recent tariff increases was a flop as it failed to attract huge numbers.

The number of media personnel and the police, who accompanied the demonstrators, far outnumbered the demonstrators who were only 22 according to Chief Superintendent Sylvester Buyuo, Head of Operations, Accra Region.

He attributed the large number of police presence to the message given to them by the organisers of the demonstration that they were expecting around 5,000 participants.

The demonstrators, who marched through some of the principal streets of Accra and finally converged at the Afua Sutherland Children’s Park, appealed to government to rescind its decision on the recent tariff hikes as Ghanaians were not ready to pay such high tariffs.

Mr Collins Kweku Amoah, Executive Director, TAF, called for the scraping of the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission (PURC) as it did not serve the purpose for which it was intended.

“It is sad that the PURC, which should have fought for the right of the consumer, is now in bed with government and is seriously campaigning for the Volta River Authority and the Ghana Grid Company”, he added.

Mr Amoah said the PURC had been very ineffective by not fighting for the right of the consumer adding that “the only time we hear of the PURC is when there is tariff increment.”

He said the NDC government had taken Ghanaians for granted and it had failed to deliver on its campaign manifesto.

He said the management of TAF would consider writing to international donors to stop giving Ghana money as such funds were usually misappropriated leading to the suffering of the people.

Saka Sali, Spokesman, TAF, appealed to the government to manage the resources of the country well in order to spare Ghanaians unnecessary suffering.

He pledged the readiness of TAF to fight for the welfare of the common man and called on all well-meaning Ghanaians to support them.

Ibrahim Issaka, a 35-year-old unemployed man from Fadama, said he took part in the demonstration because he was suffering and called on Government to come out with measures to curb unemployment.

Kwame Mensah, also a 36-year-old second hand cloth seller at Kantamanto, spoke about low sales and said it was due to lack of   money in system and called on the Government to do more to make money available to all.

Some of the placards read “Killer Tariffs”, “Ghanaians are not ready for new tariffs”, “We are dying under Mahama”, Normal Ghana, Please no better Ghana”, Suicide Tariffs” and “Abnormal Tariffs”

Source: GNA/Ghana