A member of the NDC communication team, Hamza Suhuyini, has justified the Mahama administration’s decision to scrap fuel allowances for political appointees, describing it as a necessary measure to cut government waste and realign public spending with national priorities.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast show, Suhuyini dismissed criticisms from the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), saying the directive is rooted in a clear understanding of public expectations, not political showmanship.
“The NDC is not operating using the rule book of the NPP that subjected them to that humiliating defeat in the last election. We know what the good people of Ghana expect and are responding to their expectations,” Suhuyini stated.
He cautioned the NPP against dismissing the policy as mere optics, stressing that President John Dramani Mahama’s government is determined to stay true to the demands of the people and will not back down.
“If you continue to disregard and disrespect the demands of the Ghanaian people by referring to it as setting, that is yours to carry. But this government will not budge in terms of our willingness to remain true to the demands of the Ghanaian people,” he added.
Addressing the directive, Suhuyini explained that the policy was not about sacrifice but responsible governance.
“If you are an appointee and you are paid, find a way of using your salary to cater for your transportation when it comes to fuel costs. This is not about sacrifice. The government is cutting waste because the government considers it waste,” he asserted.
However, Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Samuel Awuku, has dismissed President John Dramani Mahama’s directive to scrap fuel allowances and halt fuel allocations to all political appointees as a populist gesture lacking real impact.
