Amidst Hike In Fuel Price & Attendance Hardship Is Government Going To Increase Salaries?
Looking at the current situation in the country, with queues at various fuel stations, and selling of fuel on the black market going at higher prices, the plight of ordinary Sierra Leoneans is made more precarious, as the prices of all commodities, including transportation has gone up astronomically.
According to many commercial drivers, they are paying extra to get fuel in the black market. They maintained that during discussions with pump attendants that are their friends, it was disclosed that there is enough fuel in the country, but that the dealers want to force the government to increase the price of fuel again to Le15,000. They furthered that since they are buying fuel now for Le15,000 per litre, they will also increase their fares.
Speaking to other concerned citizens, it was revealed that the excuse given by the government that the fuel increase was necessitated by the war in Ukraine is an attempt to support any increase in fuel prices. Sources around the Kissy terminal explained to this writer that there is fuel enough to last the country for the next 4 months and more, but that the dealers want to make exorbitant profit from their stock, and are forcing the government to increase the pump price. It was also disclosed that prior to the recent increase in fuel price, the PRA had attempted to soften the ground with some bloggers being paid to spread information about the cost of the country’s fuel, as compared to that of its neighbors, but as the war in Ukraine began, they quickly switched to it, heaping all the blame on the increase in fuel price in the international market.
This information is disturbing, as it presents the regulatory body as siding with the companies to increase fuel price. The concern raised by many citizens is that amidst all these increases, there has not been any increase in the salaries of people. This, they say, puts more burden on the ordinary man. Some concerned workers say that the government should increase salaries commensurate with the increase in prices of commodities, occasioned by the fuel price increase.
Some outspoken people intimated this press that many families are finding it very difficult to put food on the table. Things have become very tough and are getting tougher by the day for most families in the country. It should be noted that situations like this saw people voting in protest against the past government; will the same fate befall the SLPP?
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