Member of Parliament for North Tongu in the Volta region, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is demanding that the Ministry of Trade and Industry render an unqualified apology to Ghanaians and President Akufo-Addo if he did not sanction the franchising of his office to extort monies from expatriate businesses in the country.
The MP in a statement alleges that expatriate businesses were asked to pay between $100,000 and $25,000 to determine how close to President Akufo-Addo they sit during a recent Ghana Expatriate Business Awards held on December 2, 2017.
Ablakwa says the act desecrates the high office of President of Ghana, is tantamount to using the presidency to sell favours, and cast doubts about the credibility of the awards itself.
Below is the statement issued by the MP.
STOP DESECRATING THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT AND REFUND EXTORTED AMOUNTS TO EXPATRIATES
The confirmation by the Trade Ministry that indeed expatriate business people were charged and had to pay US$100,000 to gain access to the table of the President of Ghana during the Ghana Expatriate Business Awards (GEBA) on December 2, 2017 marks a new low.
That others had to pay between US$25,000 and US$100,000 to determine their proximity to the President's table as clearly communicated in that now infamous Deputy Minister Carlos Ahenkora letter of 23rd October, 2017 makes this whole scandal one of the most stenchy in recent times.
The Office of President in every country is accorded all the respect and dignity - one held in the highest of esteem and is an embodiment of the ethos and aspirations of its people. It cannot be right or ethical to franchise the Office of the President to fundraisers where the highest bidder gains access.
How does this play out in our conscience, for an awards ceremony billed to honour deserving investors who chose our country to do business, in order to create jobs for our fellow citizens and help grow our economy being basically surcharged in the most crude circumstances for their awards. Is this not extortion? Is this not using the presidency to sell favours? In any case, how do we convince anybody that these awards were indeed earned and not for sale to those willing to pay? Have we not lost the golden opportunity to prove that as a nation we truly value the contributions of these expats over the years?
Has the NPP Government not used a so-called awards ceremony as a ruse to fleece the expatriate community? Will the expats be wrong in feeling this way?
My position will surely have been different if this particular fundraising concept was carefully utilized to raise funds for a worthy humanitarian cause, probably towards cancer patients, leukaemia patients, malaria eradication, re-equipping our hospitals or towards paying the medical bills of suffering children whose parents cannot afford but certainly not debasing the presidency in this manner.
I have my strongest of doubts that President Rawlings, Kufuor, Mills and Mahama would have permitted this during their tenure.
Yes, many expatriate business people are doing a great job and deserve to be awarded without illegal and immoral fees but we also know that there are a few bad nuts whose maltreatment and abuse of their Ghanaian staff continues to cause outrage and our President must not be rendered incapacitated from talking about this and doing something about it especially as a human rights lawyer just because his government is busy collecting money from expat businesses and doing so without any standards except on the basis of the highest bidder.
The least the Ministry of Trade and Industry should be doing at this point instead of seeking to justify their shameful conduct is to apologize to President Akufo-Addo, that is, if he did not grant his blessings for this desecration of the high office he occupies, apologize to Ghanaians and refund the extorted sums to the expats.
It is emerging that this whole episode appears to dent our image in many expatriate and diplomatic circles. I do hope that salvaging measures will be implored in the immediacy to save what is left of our image.
Signed,
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa MP, North Tongu
Ranking Member, Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs.
18th December, 2017.
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Albino !!!
Why do you people always behave so ignorantly? I still can't understand the NDC. This is a private sponsorship program, organised by a private entity and graced by the President through the Ministry of Trade and Industry. At least I know when it comes to sponsorship there are always categorizations. So if the private entity tries to raise money through this, you blame the government?
Did the Expats pay? Were monies collected from the Expats to sit with the Prez. Answer these questions and stop the unnecessary insults. Truth stands!!
Ofrijato... go and tell your incompetent, greedy and corrupt John Dramani Mahama to return the Ford bribe he took from contractor Kanazoe.....
Very, very sad indeed,the way NDC has opted to make politics in Ghana. You see, and with all due respect, political polemics should at least reflect politcal ideology in a way, if you like the social democrats. In the case of NDC is all delibrate lies, propaganda, personal attacks and populistic gimmicks. They are all hollow and baseless except that, they are fabricated in a way which assumes low and uninformed intelligence of Ghanaian electorates.And indeed, the opposite is true. It is, the high time they started to talk to issues and policies before it's too late. NDC should solemnly come in terms with the fact that Nana's credibility, honesty, and incorruptibility in the face of Ghanaian politics is intact. You see, the man, our President is a first class politician and he has been very consistent with his policies to transform Ghana beyond aid and handouts even in the face of present economic challenges. The resonance of this determination to Change the Status quo- the export of raw materials to value added chain of production and the testimony with the known facts attribued to these African challenges as articulated by our President(Nana) is positive both in Ghana and abroad.In conclusion, I would genuinely, advice NDC to resort to formidable Opposition in a manner which exhibits informed criticism and competition of ideas devoid of Insults, defamation and lies. Asem S€ b€!
Sometimes, we allow our emotions to override our judgement. As much as i mostly disagree with Abrokwa on some issues, I bet to differ in this case. If this is true, then it's bad and the President should demand answers from the ministry for this action. NDC lost last election because they refuse to accept the obvious wrongs which the people were complaining about. Let's not do the same and correct our own if its wrong. I do not have the fall facts of this case, but if what I am reading is true, then, it's wrong
Rawlings will get you
Ei, incompetent 'paaaa nie'! Opposition has REALLY exposed the incompetency in NDC!
Ofridzato ablakwa keep quiet ooo keep quiet !!!
Simple question. is that true or not?