Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, Member of Parliament (MP) for Bosome Freho, has paid a price for exposing the Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa about the state of Ghanaian refugees in Cote d’Ivoire.
As a deputy ranking member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, he should have been part of the Ghanaian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in New York (NY).
Although all the necessary arrangements for the trip such as per diem among others had been readied for the official assignment, he could not make it.
It was not because of ill-health, but the Foreign Affairs Minister is reported to have said that the aircraft was full and so he could not be part of the delegation. His ticket was said to have been withdrawn at the eleventh hour.
Being a first time MP, he should not have taken a leading role in visiting the Ghanaian refugees in Cote d’Ivoire and to expose the Foreign Affairs Minister’s statement that 8,000 of the 14,000 refugees had returned home. That would have been irresponsible on his part.
Sammy is a powerful man and can use this attribute at his disposal to his effect, which was what he did. Those who oppose him or seek to expose his mendacious nature risk being denied what is due them.
When news about the MP being dropped from the trip hit the public space, many doubted the minister could be so mean as to take such an arbitrary step against a colleague in the august House of Parliament where Ghana’s interest overrides all else.
It beats imagination how after all the arrangements for such an important assignment like this, a deputy ranking member would be dropped on the pretext that the aircraft is full.
Even GPRTU buses do not experience such overloading of passengers. The theory about the minister on a revenge mission appears to be convincing unless he can come out with something else to support the ‘aircraft was full’ reason.
When such vindictiveness starts playing out among our political class, we are compelled to start making all manner of conjectures, which is why dismissing the ‘aircraft was full’ theory outright is rather difficult.
Democracy makes room for a constructive opposition, which is why the deputy ranking member took the trip to Cote d’Ivoire. Had the trip not come on, we would have concluded that he was sleeping on his job and deserving a query.
The other side of a coin under such consequences is worthy of showing to the public who are represented in Parliament by the members.
Members of the Minority who want to miss out on foreign trips should continue exposing the Foreign Affairs Minister. Is that the kind of democracy we want to build? Certainly no.