The National Coordinator of the District Road Improvement Programme, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, has criticised the Minority in Parliament over its demand for accountability on energy sector levies, insisting that those calling for transparency must first demonstrate their own record of accountability.
Vanderpuye maintained that the government remains committed to openness and transparency in governance, assuring that it will respond to any legitimate demand for accountability from stakeholders.
He affirmed the government’s preparedness to account for its stewardship at any time, contrasting this stance with what he described as the Minority’s past failure to subject itself to scrutiny while in government.
Invoking the principle of equity, Vanderpuye argued that those now demanding answers must come with “clean hands,” accusing the Minority of evading accountability in the past but now seeking to hold others to standards they did not uphold.
“Well, unlike them, we would do so because that is what is required of us as a responsible government. And also what was, even to me, naive and a bit off was their demand that the minister should be sacked.
“John is competent, and they admire his capability and competence. The only thing they can do is to wish that he’s not in play,” he said.
His comments come in response to a Right to Information (RTI) request filed by the First Deputy Minority Whip and Member of Parliament for Tolon, Habib Iddrisu, at the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, seeking full disclosure on the collection and utilisation of energy sector levies.
The Minority’s demand is tied to growing public concern over the resurgence of erratic power supply, widely known as dumsor, which has disrupted activities in several parts of the country in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, Vanderpuye dismissed calls by the Minority for the dismissal of the Energy Minister, describing the demand as irresponsible and unfounded, while defending the minister’s competence and capability in managing the sector.
