Be a Father to All – Pressure Group tells Mills

A pressure group in Kumasi, the Democracy and Freedom Alliance (DFA), has called on President J.E.A. Mills to remain committed to his pledge of becoming a father to all Ghanaians. The group encouraged the government to desist from sacking public sector workers for no apparent reason but merely on political considerations. At a press conference in Kumasi to express its opinions on national issues, the group said President Mills, in his maiden speech, promised to be a ‘President for all’ but unfortunately, what we are seeing today is quite different as people are being sacked from their jobs, especially government workers. “There is no single day that we do not hear of government workers being sacked for no reason other than political, contrary to the dictates of the Constitution,” it said. “Today, if it is not school feeding caterers, it is mass sprayers and toilet seizures. If it is not commissioners, then it is chief executives and heads of departments or agencies,” it added. The Spokesperson of the DFA, Mr Bashir Tijani, who doubles as the Youth Organiser of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) in the Asawasi Constituency, who addressed the press in Kumasi, said it was unhealthy for the government to adopt discriminatory tactics in public jobs. “If we are equal when it comes to paying taxes, then we should be equal when it comes to public jobs and social protection,” he said. Other leading members of the group who spoke were Mr Appiah Kubi, the Chairman, and Mr Abdul Salam Adams, the Secretary. The group mentioned the recent sacking of some workers of the National Security Secretariat for no apparent reason but political as an example of what it termed as discriminatory tactics by the government. It said the group would support all actions geared towards accountability, and called on the government to explain the petroleum pricing formula used in reaching the recent 30 per cent increase in fuel prices. “We are calling on President Mills to explain this huge increase and what effect this situation has on the credibility of the Presidency and politics in Ghana,” the group said. It said though there were cries from the public for the government to account to the people on the Ghana@40 celebrations in 1997, the then government, of which President Mills was the Vice-President never bothered about the public cries. “Why, then, turn round to set up a commission to investigate the Ghana@50 celebrations?” it asked. “We are very much interested in when he is going to set up a commission of enquiry to investigate Ghana@40 too, since there were allegations of misapplication of public funds during that time too,” it added.