President John Evans Atta Mills has underscored his commitment to alleviating the hardships of Ghanaians. He said the fight against poverty and hardships is the only reason why he was voted into government and he would not do anything to worsen the plight of the people. He was responding to members of the Committee for Joint Action (CJA) who paid a courtesy call on him on Tuesday to express their discontent over the new increases in prices of petroleum products. Led by Kwesi Pratt Jnr. Editor of the Insight Newspaper, the CJA said government must explain the basis for the 30 per cent price hike. Describing the increases as unacceptable, Mr. Pratt said government must consider other innovative means of dealing with petroleum pricing. He advocated for a further reduction in taxes on the products if it was possible. He lamented the deplorable economic conditions in the country which he said could worsen with the new increases announced. He charged government to consider building new ties with countries endowed with crude oil reserves in order to buy the commodity at a cheaper price. The president assured the CJA the government will respond to the demands at the appropriate time. Listen to excerpts of the discussions in the attached audio. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com