The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Akim Swedru in the Eastern Region, Kennedy Nyarko Osei, has criticized the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) for giving ‘sweet’ promises during electioneering campaigns and turning its back on the people when it gains political power.

He said the NDC, which publicly promised to reduce fuel prices during the 2008 general elections, has now increased fuel prices by 218 percent since then.

The MP made the observation when he was contributing to the debate on the State of the Nation Address in Parliament on Tuesday.

“Mr. Speaker, when the NDC took power in 2008, the price of a gallon of petrol was GH¢3.6 and now a gallon is selling at GH¢11.45, which is 218 percent increase,” he said adding, ” The then candidate Mills said fuel prices would be reduced drastically and that the reduction would go a long way to help put money into the pockets of workers.”

He said under the NDC government, Ghanaians are in more difficult times than when the NPP was in power.

According to him, the unemployment situation under the NDC government had worsened, with over 300,000 young graduates inundating the job market every year without jobs.

Mr. Nyarko Osei recalled that the NDC government also promised not to introduce more taxes, “but new ‘killer’ taxes have been introduced” which he said, had worsened the plight of the ordinary Ghanaian.

He noted that judging from the track-record of the NDC, President Mahama’s promises in the State of the Nation Address must not be taken seriously, stressing that “The NDC government has proved to be insincere, untruthful and only good in giving vain promises.”

The NPP MP for Kwadaso, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, contributing to the debate, said Ghanaians must not take the Mahama government seriously on its claim that it would support farmers in the poultry industry, rice and tomato production to reduce the over-dependence on the importation of these commodities and also help create jobs for many people.

“During the first term of the NDC, many groups of local manufacturers and poultry farmers, came and petitioned Parliament to intervene on their behalf for the government to support them so that they could produce for the local and the international markets, but the government did not listen to them,” the Kwadaso MP recalled. He wondered how the same government could turn round to be campaigning for the local production of food like rice.

He said currently, the country imports rice to the tune of $324 million; fish: $283 million; wheat: $226.7 million; poultry: $169.2 million and cooking oil: $127 million; “but these goods could have been competitively produced in the country if the NDC government had taken agriculture seriously.”