Abuakwa South Member of Parliament, Hon. Atta Akyea does not only feel vindicated over the newly announced fuel price increases, he believes the ruling National Democratic Congress is showing its true character – deceit and lies. The National Petroleum Authority has just confirmed new fuel price increases Wednesday, ranging between 2 and 10 percent, safe for kerosene and premix fuel, which maintained existing prices. Petrol attracted a 10 percent increase; LPG 5% and Diesel 2%. Petrol will now sell at GH¢3.86 per gallon while Diesel sells at GH¢3.90 per gallon. On March 5, 2009, moments before Finance and Economic Planning Minister, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor presented the 2009 Budget to Parliament, Atta Akyea had addressed a press conference in Parliament and told Ghanaians that information he had gathered indicated the government was going to announce fuel price cuts but only for a cosmetic purpose and period. “Some information that I have is to the effect that the budget is about to be delivered and the government is about to play with the intelligence of the Ghanaian people to score political points. It is to the effect that the price of petroleum will be reduced. Petrol will experience a reduction of five percent and then diesel and kerosene will be 10 percent…The embarrassing aspect of what we are hearing, and we hope it is not true, is that after they’ve done this within a month or so, they would come back and announce that it is having a biting effect on the economy and therefore they have to restore the prices of petroleum to some realistic levels,” he had said. In less than a month, the government has reversed the reduction, and the outspoken MP told Myjoyonline on Wednesday, the decision only goes to reveal the identity of the ruling party. “I feel the NDC have been exposed for what they are, they are deceitful and practicing politics of convenience.” Atta Akyea explained that given the economic situation at the time, there was no prudence in government reducing prices, given that there was real need for revenue mobilization to sustain national development projects. He said given the prevailing economic conditions, the newly announced prices could be justified, except that the nation should in the first place not have come to this point, “But for a government to decide against all counsel to deprive itself of needed revenue just to fulfill a populist agenda and unrealistic campaign promises smacks of insincerity and deceit.” Asked if he thought the government must offer a public apology for the apparent reneging on its electoral promise to significantly reduce fuel prices and cushion the populace from economic hardships, Atta Akyea said he “would leave the decision to the conscience of the ruling party whose officials and supporters vehemently denied” his prediction and subjected him to unwarranted verbal abuses. Story by Isaac Yeboah/Myjoyonline.com