Yaw Buaben-Asamoa
The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has fired Members of Parliament (MPs) in the Minority side over plans to picket at the Kotoka International Airport over the continued mandatory COVID-19 testing for arriving passengers.
The Minority in Parliament has set Wednesday March 30, 2022 to embark on such an exercise.
They have consequently informed the Ghana Police Service about the planned protest.
In a letter signed by three of its members, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Kwame Agbodza and Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the opposition legislators say they intend to consistently hold the protest until the government cancels the mandatory testing contract with the service providers; Frontiers Healthcare Services Ltd.
“It is our firm determination to sustain these mass picketing actions until such a time that the Akufo-Addo-led government curtails the illegal, unconscionable and extortionist COVID-19 antigen testing conducted by the iffy Frontiers Healthcare Services Ltd,” part of the letter addressed to the police said.
However, in a press statement issued by Yaw Boaben Asamoah, Communications Director of NPP accused the NDC of reducing his COVID-19 Taskforce to picketing.
He wondered why the NDC instead of appreciating government for the measures put in place to mitigate the issues around the stabilisation of the economy.
“Unfortunately, the NDC instead of appreciating where we are as a nation, the NDC COVID-19 Taskforce has been reduced to picketing. We are completely surprised at the self-serving intent to picket at the Kotoka International Airport against COVID-19 Protocols when pandemic is not clearly over.
“Since the outbreak of the pandemic two years ago, COVID-19 protocols, guidelines and mandate have been regularly monitored, evaluated and reviewed to ensure effective management. This is how the people of Ghana have been kept largely safe to the point where there are only 90 active cases and 9 new cases today. It is ironic that the so- called NDC Advisery Team who had barely uttered a word over a year and it idle MPs have suddenly find their voices. After initially questioning the key COVID-19 measures taken by government, including reopening of schools, every fair minded Ghanaian realised how vacuous John Mahama advisory team were. Now picketing is now their next card. How pathetic,” the Director of Communications of NPP noted.
He strongly believes that NDC intends to picket is a move to divert attention on the measures taken by government to revive the economy.
The party therefore commended government on the measures put out by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
The measures include expenditure cuts, revenue boosting, fuel prices and cedi management as the party is asking all Ghanaians to get on board and support to secure some relief.
By Vincent Kubi