General News of Tuesday, 14 June 2005

Source: Ghana Palaver

Kufuor Promises To Reduce Fuel Prices

President John Agyekum Kufuor last Tuesday categorically promised the nation that his government was considering the possibility of reducing the prices of petroleum products in order to reduce the hardships on the people, according to Daily Graphic report of Tuesday, June 7.

The president, who was speaking at the opening of a five-day training programme organised by Public Affairs and Communications (PAC) Institute said the government appreciates the difficulties of the private sector and promised to help relieve the sector from its predicament. Also on Joy 12 o'clock news programme, monitored via Kumasi' Love FM in Techiman on Tuesday, June 7, 2005, the president made the promise at a meeting with some businessmen including some representatives of Coca Cola International or some such company and underscored the promise by reminding his audience of the Government's reduction of corporate taxes twice in succession when it thought the situation warranted it.

Joy did not only report it as a news item; they actually played a voice over of the President uttering those words and making the promise. Speaker after speaker at the then ongoing wahala 5 demonstration at Techiman hailed the announcement as a great victory for the wahalians and urged the demonstrations to strengthen their resolve until final victory was won because their cause was just. One speaker however cautioned the crowd not to take the announcement too seriously since it could be a ploy to induce apathy towards the demonstration, as some would consider it no longer necessary since the objective had been attained.