Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, MP, North Tongu
By Newton-Offei Justice Abeeku
When the rich and powerful are sick, they fly out to countries with excellent medical infrastructure to seek best of care.
And with China’s astronomic rise as the leading emerging power and second most powerful global economy with the capacity to build a 2000-bed medical facility within a week, following the Coronavirus outbreak, the best place for someone to be protected against, or, treated from the virus, is definitely China and not Ghana.
International protocols
Indeed, as a state, it is incumbent on our government to ensure Ghanaians anywhere on the globe are well-taken care of, both under domestic laws and international protocols.
And with Ghana being signatory to charters of these international bodies like the World Health Organisation (WHO), we obviously cannot override an order by this organisation for states not to evacuate potential Coronavirus victims into countries with relatively weak health systems.
It is for this reason that the call by the NDC Minority in Parliament for government to, with immediate effect, evacuate all Ghanaians living in China back home can best be likened to the ‘guinea fowl’ syndrome where immediately they see one of them taking to flight, they all, in panic hysteria, just join in the flight, only to enquire what was pursuing them upon landing in the middle of nowhere.
Unintelligent call
The reason of these NDC people for making their call is that “America, Britain, Canada, Germany, France etc., have evacuated their citizens out of China so Ghana must follow suit
Now, this is why I have always maintained that Okudezeto-Ablakwah is just an apology of a minority spokesperson on foreign affairs since he has absolutely no knowledge even in rudimentary foreign relations protocols, let alone international political economy which is the main driver of foreign policy formulation by state actors.
I do listen to Okudezeto-Ablakwah and what he normally does is just pouring what he goes to chew from the internet.
Misguided tirade
So for example, when the topic on the table is about change in US policy on trade with Ghana, he will simply embark on a totally misguided tirade and start mentioning names of countries and trade policies which have absolutely no tangent to the issue under discussion, instead of contextualizing the issue from the perspective of state craft where globalisation is driven by both economic and military might.
And what indeed scares me is the fact that, in the highly unlikely scenario of NDC ever coming back to power before the second coming of Christ, Okudezeto-Ablakwah could be Ghana’s Foreign Minister, with others like Otokunor, Sammy Gyamfi, Kweku Boahen, Gabby Assuming, Dela Edem, among others, as ministers of state.
Continuation
And this alone must be enough motivation for the good people of this country to, as a matter of patriotism, mass up at registration centres across the country to have your names captured in the new voters’ register to enable them fully partake in the 2020 general elections, and vote massively for the continuation of FREE SHS, 1D1F, 1V1D, among others.
The NDC, notoriously, has been Ghana’s single most-destructive organisation and most formidable impediment to our socioeconomic advancement as a people. It is evident that this call by the NDC minority is motivated, purely, by demonic political point-scoring.
Their motive has absolutely nothing to do with well-being of our nationals in China. And for a group of people to seek to reap political benefits from the dilemma of their fellow countrymen and women, indeed, cements the fact that NDC is a demonic entity whose continuous involvement in our democratic governance poses existential danger.
Cancerous tumor
Consequently, such an entity in all progressive societies will never be allowed anywhere close to corridors of power and it is about time, as a people, we came together and democratically banish such cancerous tumor of an entity from our political landscape.
In conclusion, I would ask that should the government at any point in time decide to evacuate our citizens from China back home, the NDC minority parliamentarians should be tasked with the national duties of welcoming them upon arrival at KIA, with warm hugs and kisses, and carry them into their matrimonial homes for the 14-day mandatory isolation, after which they can release them to us.
