The spokesperson for the Abbosey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association and the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has criticized the group’s leadership, accusing them of showing favoritism towards the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and neglecting to address economic concerns adequately.
Kwadwo Tachie alleges that the leadership has failed to confront the government about the current economic challenges and the depreciation of the cedi, which are adversely affecting their businesses.
During an appearance on ‘Frontline’ on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he asserted that if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) were in power, the leadership would have mobilized members to protest and demand action on the economic crisis.
Tachie expressed his disappointment, stating, “We are deceiving ourselves by pretending that the country is progressing positively when, in reality, we are grappling with a severe economic downturn.”
He emphasized that the depreciation of the cedi has led to increased spare parts prices, adversely impacting their operations.
Although the Finance Ministry is engaging with business groups, including spare parts dealers, Tachie believes the meeting is unnecessary, and the leadership should have boycotted it.
Expressing his frustration, he questioned why the leadership would attend the meeting when they failed to give the previous government the same opportunity.
He advocated for more proactive actions, including street protests and shop closures, to demonstrate dissatisfaction with the current economic situation.
Tachie also criticized the media for not holding the government accountable, noting a disparity in scrutiny between the NPP and the NDC.
He urged for unbiased accountability and vowed to speak out against the government’s shortcomings.
“I am outraged and furious and do not understand why our leadership would honour this meeting. They should have boycotted it because it was unnecessary. The situation has deteriorated. We should be on the streets by now.
“In 2015, we criticized the previous government and demanded better leadership. If not for hypocrisy, why would our leadership honour a meeting when we never afforded the previous government the same opportunity?
“We did not give the previous NDC government any respite. We are facing a severe economic crisis, yet our leaders have failed to mobilize and take action.
“We should be on the streets now. Our members should be closing their stores. I don’t understand why we have treated this government with kid gloves when we did not do the same previously.”
“When the NPP is in power, they don’t receive the same scrutiny as the NDC. The majority of our leaders do not hold the NPP accountable as they do with the NDC. Are they not human beings? We should be bold, hold every government accountable, and demand better leadership. The truth is, our leadership is partisan.
“The cedi has depreciated to unimaginable levels, yet we have remained silent. I am extremely angry about this and do not wish to elaborate on why this is happening. They will hear from us on Sunday. Some of us will no longer tolerate this. We will speak up and demand better,” he charged.