Closure of shops : I’m not sure GUTA wanted to do it; dialogue is needed – Lawratu

A member of the Communications team of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)  Lawratu Musah Saaka has called for dialogue between the Ministry of Trade and Industry and members of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) to resolve the issues that resulted in the closure of shops.

She said nobody enjoys the closure of shops.

Speaking on the New Day show with Roland Walker on TV3 Thursday October 20, she said ” They should dialogue, they need to speak to each other, Trade Ministry is doing what it needs to do.

“Everybody wants the best thing for the country. I don’t think anybody endorses the closure of the shops.  It is dialogue we need at this moment.”

Shops in Accra closed from Wednesday, October 19 as traders started a three-day action to register displeasure at the current economic conditions.

GUTA directed all its members to close down shops in Accra.

They are protesting the high cost of doing business in Ghana as a result of the economic meltdown.

They claim the depreciation of the domestic currency, Cedi, to the US Dollar is making it difficult for most traders to stay in business.

Not even a last-minute move by the Council of State would stop GUTA from embarking on the action.

“It is obvious that we cannot contain these challenges any longer as it is becoming increasingly challenging,” GUTA National President Dr Joseph Obeng told journalists on Tuesday, October 18 after the meeting.

“We want to send a hint to the government to recognize that there is a sense of urgency in this situation. On this note, by the power vested in me by the trading community, I declare that all shops in the Greater Accra be closed [Wednesday] till Monday.”

This follows last week’s closure of shops in the central business district of the Ashanti Region.

There, the traders were protesting the e-VAT system introduced by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

It took the intervention of the Queen mother of the Ashanti Kingdom, Asantehemaa Nana Konadu Yiadom II for the tensions to ease.

Source: 3news.com|Ghana