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Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has lamented the insensitive posture of the government amid the rising cost of living standards.

In a May 9, 2022, post on his Facebook timeline, the lawmaker lamented “soaring hardship” which he said had been brought on by among others, “unbridled price hikes, excruciating cost of fuel, 20% increase in transport fares, proposals by ECG for a 100% tariff adjustment, historic unemployment at 13.4% and a draconian E-Levy.”

After rhetorically asking whether the government would have looked on as these conditions festered in an election year, Ablakwa asked that politicians must maintain sensitivity to the populace at all times that they are in office.

“Sensitivity levels of Ghanaian political leaders must remain the same before and after elections,” it read in part citing the Hungarian situation where the Prime Minister is said to have capped fuel and food prices after winning elections last month.

His post titled: ‘Perhaps Ghana should hold national elections every year,’ coincides with recent requests for tariff adjustment by the state-owned water and electricity distributor.

Prices of two utilities are expected to go up after the Ghana Water Company Limited, GWCL, and the Electricity Company of Ghana, ECG, made requests for tariff adjustments to the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, PURC.

The GWCL wants a 334% increment in tariff whiles the ECG has proposed a 148% increment. Already, some transport operators have hinted that they will increase fares because of the rising cost of petroleum products.

Read Ablakwa’s full post below

Perhaps Ghana should hold national elections every year.

Soaring hardships caused by unbridled price hikes, excruciating cost of fuel, 20% increase in transport fares, proposals by ECG for a 100% tariff adjustment, historic unemployment at 13.4% and a draconian E-Levy wouldn’t have been tolerated the least if this was an election year.

Sensitivity levels of Ghanaian political leaders must remain the same before and after elections.

In Hungary, despite winning his April election, Prime Minister Viktor Orban continues to cushion Hungarians by placing a cap on fuel and food prices which he has extended to July 1.