Kofi Bentil, the Senior Vice President of IMANI-Africa has fired shots at the John Mahama-led government over the recent Energy Sector Levy.
According to Kofi Bentil, the NDC government must sit up and do their work as nobody cares about their explanation.
He claimed that the Mahama government is hiding behind technical explanations instead of solving the real issues affecting Ghanaians.
Kofi Bentil noted that in other countries, citizens do not even know where they bought the gas from or whether they are using crude oil or nuclear energy, all they know is their your lights stay on.
Speaking on Joy News on Saturday, Kofi Bentil stated, “You heard Felix [Government Spokesperson] spend 15 minutes explaining these things — It’s your job, nobody cares about it”.
“When you travel to places where leaders work you don’t know where they bought the gas from or whether they are using crude oil or nuclear energy — your lights stay on. Please sit up, do your work.”
Kofi Bentil added, “Consistently, they come at us with this and that and then when the problem comes, they come and explain all kinds of things that we don’t care about. If you’re competent, solve the problem. It is a bi-partisan problem,” he noted
Meanwhile, Private Legal Practitioner and Energy Expert Kwame Jantuah has stated that as difficult as it is dumsor levy is a necessary evil.
According to Kwame Jantuah, if the entire country is being asked to share the burden of the energy sector debt, appointees of the government must also pay for the fuel levy.
He asserted that appointees of the government do not feel the pressure on Ghanaians because they are given free fuel coupons.
Speaking on the Key Points on TV3 on Saturday, June 7, Kwame Jantuah stated, “Do we have a debt? We have a debt. How do we pay that debt? If this was your own private business, and you have a debt, would you not sit with your family and discuss with them that you have debt to pay, so you want to sell the car?
“As difficult as it is. It [ Fuel levy] is a necessary evil…However, I would have thought that certain explanations would be given before being told of the one Cedi. Where do we stand with ESLA? I would have expected the Finance Minister to go into details. I expected him to also look at the nominees for the president.
He asserted that appointees of the government do not feel the pressure on Ghanaians because they are given free fuel coupons.
Kwame Jantuah added, “Do they buy fuel? We say everybody should share to clear this debt, the nominees of the president, how do they get fuel? Do they buy fuel with their money to buy fuel? How do we get them to also buy fuel to share in this burden?
“It is not only one political party that has created this debt. Since we cannot continue to sit in debt. How long is this levy going to stay in the books? Is it going to be till thy Kingdom come? I think we need clarification on that. I expect transparency as to how the money is being used.”
He added, “Government appointees do not feel the pressure that other Ghanaians feel because they use fuel coupons.”
