National Youth Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) Sammy Awuku has condemned the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Robert Ahomka-Lindsay for seemingly accusing diasporans of being whiners.
Sammy Awuku found the comments made by the Deputy Minister during a Diaspora Homecoming Summit in Accra disparaging, saying it suggested that the Deputy Minister is insensitive to the plight of Ghanaians.
According to him, Hon. Ahomka-Lindsay and any other government appointee owes the NPP supporters and citizens a duty and a responsibility to perform.
The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, addressing a gathering at the Diaspora Homecoming Summit at the Accra International Conference Centre last Thursday warned the disaporans to stop "whining" about things not working in the country.
“Nobody likes whiners, people that spend all the time whining all the time really get on people’s nerves so stop whining, stop this doesn’t work, this doesn’t work, if its worked you probably wouldn’t be sitting there,” the Deputy Minister said.
But an investor who found the Minister's comment ‘insulting’ replied, saying ‘yes we have the money and we have the expertise, we came here to sit with policy makers and formulate policies and integrate us into society, where are the decision makers?, they are nowhere near here…this arrogance and attitudes must stop, who travels 3,000 miles to be a whiner?’.
Addressing the Deputy Minister's remarks on Peace FM's Kokrokoo, Sammy Awuku advised him and all appointees to watch their tongue when speaking to Ghanaians.
“There will always be time you won’t get it right because you’re a person. But you shouldn’t deliberately get it wrong. You wouldn’t always get it right but you shouldn’t deliberately get it wrong", he stressed.
According to him, communication is irreversible and so if a person makes an irresponsible statement; all he/she can do is to "apologize for it but you can’t reverse it”.
Sammy Awuku therefore advised the Deputy Minister to reflect the modesty of President Nana Akufo-Addo.
“You can’t say people are complaining too much. Who should they complain to? If you can’t pick your calls, give your phone to the President so he will pick the calls for you and tell the President that you want to focus on your work because he knows you can multi-task, that’s why he gave you the job...This is direct to the appointees. You’re the representatives of the President. I’m saying you won’t always get it right but don’t deliberately get it wrong. And when you get it wrong, it takes the greatest person on earth to apologize”.
"I haven’t made my mind to go to opposition now. Truth needs to be told…So, the appointees should also reflect the modesty of the party", he said.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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Instead of engaging in a discourse to brain storm as to how the processes could be made more effective, efficient, timeous and reduce the bureaucratic rigmarole, the joker was defending the bunkum, by retorting that, Ghanaians were whining about the bureaucracy. Such a character clearly does not understand what 21st century governance and development and the movement of capital is about. Get him the hell out of there since he has not demonstrated the capacity to be a serious-minded minister.
The deputy Minister is probably right. Having bee a diasporan himself for a long time rising to the very top of Coca Cola he has seen that whining don't give results hence his decision to be part of solving the problem and not waiting for someone to come and make policies before they bring their money. they should should just back and come back for all of us to work together.
Sammy, please do yourself a favor and listen to the full speech. Mr Ahomka-Lindsay was giving very pertinent advice to the diasporeans. Remember the deputy minister himself is a former diasporean. He was spot on. Every diasporean who intend to re-settle or invest back home should develop the right mindset and also understand how the Ghanaian system works.