A member of the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, Edward Abambire Bawa, says he is disappointed in the Energy Minister, Matthew Opoku-Prempeh, over his recent comments on power fluctuations.
The energy minister told journalists to “ask those who want load-shedding timetable to bring it” themselves.
Dr Opoku-Prempeh said this at the inauguration of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) campaign team in the Ashanti Region over the weekend.
He questioned the rationale behind calls for a load-shedding timetable when the power provider, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has stated that there was no power crisis to necessitate such a timetable.
He challenged critics to develop their own timetable if they believe it is necessary, stressing that ECG has not announced any plans for load-shedding.
The comments by the minister have since received widespread backlash from power consumers in the country, particularly on social media.
Many Ghanaians, including the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) have asked the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to publish a load-shedding timetable, following intermittent power fluctuations, popularly called ‘dumsor’, which is being experienced across the country in recent times.
Responding to the development on Accra-based TV3 on Monday, March 25, the MP for the Bongo constituency, Bawa, said the energy minister, has no right to make such a comment.
He insisted that not all Ghanaians have been given the responsibility to manage the energy sector, saying “First and foremost, let me state very clearly that I am so much disappointed in the Energy Minister”.
He added, “Not all Ghanaians have been given the responsibility to manage the energy sector; only a few that is headed by him [the sector minister] who have been given the opportunity to do that”.
For him, every Ghanaian has the right to demand better services and accountability from their leaders.
The Bongo lawmaker described the behaviour of the Akufo-Addo-led government as that of a monarch, saying “It is just one of the issues about how this government seems to be treating Ghanaians. They think that they have the right to rule, and they behave with the mentality of a monarch”.
