Shops closure: We are not making govt unpopular – Abossey Okai traders

The Abossey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association has rejected the assertion that it is making the government unpopular with the ongoing closure of shops to register their displeasure over the depreciation of the Cedi and the high cost of doing business.

This follows allegations by the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Michael Okyere Baafi, that the decision by the traders association is a ploy to make government unpopular.

But reacting to the Deputy Minister’s statement, the Vice President of the Association, Richard Obeng, told Starr News that their decision to close shops was not influenced by politics.

He said their action had been taken to ensure the government put in adequate measures to arrest the further depreciation of the Cedi and also reduce the cost of doing business in the country.

“So the Minister is trying to tell us that whatever challenges that we are facing right now he doesn’t see anything wrong? How much do we buy one gallon of petrol, we don’t want to go into politics, we don’t want to politicize this. We are speaking the truth and the truth must be spoken. You will bear me witness, how much petrol do you buy in a week, if it’s not because of Dollar? So we are talking about the way we can measures in place so that at the end of the day, the Dollar will stabilize. If you are claiming that we are trying to make the government unpopular that is not what we are doing.

“We all know that Akufo Addo has done well for us the people of Abossey Okai and the importers. He’s done a lot so how can we sabotage him? Whether I belong to NDC or NPP you have no idea. If we go to the fuel station do they ask you whether you are NPP or NDC? No, everybody is being affected, that is what we are speaking about.”