NDC Is Frustrated To Be Asking For Energy Solution From The Opposition Party - Minority Leader

“A government is elected to solve problems and not to explain problems. You have been elected to resolve the bad things and not to complain that these are the reasons for the problems,” said the Minority leader, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu on Okay FM.

The executives of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has demanded for alternative solutions to end the energy crises from the New Patriotic Party if it is ready to be the alternative government.

The General Secretary of the ruling NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah has rubbished the demonstration of the NPP on the erratic power supply [dumsor] describing it as unnecessary since the demonstration has not added power to the national grid.

The Minority Leader has pooh-poohed on Okay FM’s "Ade Akye Abia" Morning Show that it is out of frustration that the NDC is embittered about the criticisms from the NPP without providing alternative solution to the energy crises.

“It is out of frustration that the NDC is complaining about the criticisms from the opposition without providing alternative; it is not for me to offer alternative but it is my responsibility to criticize the government on the wrong approach and decisions taken to resolve challenges confronting the country as an opposition,” he argued.

The NPP MP for Suame Constituency therefore stated that the ruling NDC government could have learnt from former President Kufuor on how his administration found emergency solution to the energy crisis in 2007 with emergency power plants.

“When the energy crises arose in 2007, President Kufuor’s emergency solution was to buy emergency solution plants and so the NDC must go for emergency power solution because this stopped the ‘dumsor’ in 2008 prior to the CAN 2008. So emergency power plant which will help to generate power in this transitional period is what we need but this government has ignored this approach,” he urged.

“During Kufuor’s era, we realized that retrofitting the Akosombo dam machines can help generate more power to the national grid and after the retrofitting, it added 100mw to 92mw and it became 1020mw and that was emergency approach. Energy Commission initiative to change all the high-energy consuming bulbs in the country to energy-saving bulbs also saved 100mw of energy for the country. Within 5 months, we had 200mw to the national grid and it was nothing extraordinary we did; everything we did was based on money but this government has crippled our economy and that is the reason why it has not been able to carry out the emergency solution to end the dumsor immediately,” he narrated.

To him, similar approach by the Energy Commission to remove all old fridges with the anticipation that close to 140mw will be saved nationwide has become impossible because there is no money to carry it out.

He further stated that as part of the emergency solution to the energy crises, former President Kufuor gave money to VRA to buy crude oil to power the thermal plants; bemoaning that the NDC government cannot do same as it owes VRA huge money.

He revealed that even with the few power that is generated, 20 percent is lost every day due to the unrepaired transmission lines; adding “we have to change our transmission lines but there is no money and besides the government owes ECG a lot of money.

According to him, Ghanaians are asking for immediate solution today to end the erratic power supply which has crippled many businesses, though the 2 to 5 years medium term approach by the NDC government to allow individuals to build medium term solution is good.