President John Mahama has said he was not elected to take “popular decisions” that would make Ghanaians happy.

According to him, he was elected to take tough decisions that would benefit majority of Ghanaians in the long term.

Responding to questions on the recent hikes in Petroleum products by the media at the Flagstaff House Tuesday, President Mahama said “it is not every decision that would be popular, but what was I elected for... If I took popular decisions to make you happy with me this country would be in the ground.

“They are tough decisions... I don’t take pleasure in imposing taxes on people... I don’t, but the alternative is worse so I must take decisions that are in the national interest... that benefit might not be seen immediately but in future people would see what benefits we have accrued”.

January 1, 2016, began with increases in prices of petroleum products by one of its biggest margins in recent times.

The increase became necessary because of the recent Energy Sector Levy put on most of the products.

If government had not introduced the recent levy fuel would have rather gone down by 10 percent due to the continuous fall of crude oil on the world market.

But President Mahama has asked Ghanaians to bear with him, saying the measures he is putting in place would eventually benefit the nation.