Communication Team Member for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Kofi Tonto has shared his thoughts on the recent exchange between the Energy Minister and a journalist regarding the absence of a load-shedding timetable for the erratic power situation being experienced by the public.
Tonto delved into the essence of the Energy Minister’s message, acknowledging the complexity of the situation. He remarked in an interview with Johnnie Hughes on 3FM Sunrise Morning Show on March 27, “What is the essence of the message the minister was trying to convey? For me, I cannot tell you exactly what he was trying to convey. I can only do deduction because I wasn’t there.”
He noted that while the journalist pressed for a timetable, the Minister seemed to emphasize the need to focus on resolving the underlying issues causing the power outages. “He emphasized on making comparisons as to what we have done before versus what another government has done. So for me, it comes across as okay let’s focus on fixing the problem and not necessarily a timetable,” Tonto asserted.
Tonto highlighted the dual nature of the debate surrounding load-shedding, acknowledging both genuine concerns from citizens and potential political motivations. He emphasized, “There are Ghanaians who may raise it for political purposes for example our brothers in NDC will raise it politically because they want to ensure that you bring a timetable so comparatively they can say that if we brought a timetable, you’ve also brought a timetable. But then I also think [there are] a considerable number of Ghanaians who want a timetable so that they can plan their lives.”
Addressing the admission of the issue as ‘Dumsor’, Tonto exclaimed that “The problem has been admitted, it is the description of the problem that has become the bone of contention the ECG has not said that we are not experiencing light off, have they? I don’t think that is the issue.”
Furthermore, Tonto offered a critical analysis of terminologies used to describe the power crisis, particularly the term “Dumsor,” which gained prominence during the previous administration.
“The Dumsor came about because it was a prolonged challenge. Let’s not create the impression that Mahama invented or created lights off in this country. Mahama didn’t. because before Mahama, before John Agyekum Kufuor we had lights off. But before Rawlings, we had lights off. But under Mahama, it became Dumsor, it became a national conversation and a global conversation because we had a prolonged issue,” he said.
He stressed the importance of accuracy in framing the issue to facilitate meaningful discussions about its causes and solutions.
Tonto concluded by emphasizing the multifaceted nature of the challenges facing the energy sector, including issues with power plants and transformers. “Now, what is causing the problem? It’s multifaceted. One being that yes, there are challenges with the power plants getting fuel be it gas or liquid fuel for it. Two, the transformer issues, they are real,” he added.
By Joselyn Kafui Nyadzi