The lashing from the public and various political figures seems endless for Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Robert Ahomka-Lindsay and the latest to join in the fray is Former Member of Parliament for Akwatia, Baba Jamal.
Baba Jamal ‘fired’ the minister following comments he made recently at a forum of diasporans last Thursday .
Mr. Ahomka-Lindsay addressing Diaspora Homecoming Summit at the Accra International told the diasporans to stop “whining” about things not working in Ghana.
Speaking on Adom TV’s Badwam program, Baba Jamal who was visibly angry, questioned the rationale behind the minister’s comments. According to him, Ahomka-Lindsay had no right whatsoever to have made that statement because his position as minister makes him open to receiving enquiries and concerns from the entire citizenry and the diasporans.
He quizzed if he (Ahomka-Lindsay) was trying to tell Ghanaians that he was “tired already, within just three months of assuming office”.
“How many months have you been in office? And you are already tired?...did someone force you to be a minister? Or a deputy? Was that position imposed on anyone? Was it by force? How can you avail yourself for a position and then after come and be making statements like that?”, he quizzed.
Baba Jamal who was angered by the minister’s choice of words chided him. The words he said, were extremely harsh and uncalled for.
“Do you understand when they say someone is whining? It means the person is complaining, grouchy, irritable, annoying, etc. I’m very angry that he would choose such words for people?”
He called the minister very arrogant and proud and admonished President Akufo-Addo to “deal” appropriately with him.
“It is mere pride and arrogance….I will request that the President deals with him”, he said.
Deputy Trade minister, Robert Ahomka-Lindsay speaking an event organised by the diaspora community in Accra told them to stop whining all the time.
“Nobody likes whiners, people that spend all the time whining all the time really get on people’s nerves so stop whining,” the Deputy Minister said. The comments angered some of the participants at the forum one of whom asked, “who travels 3,000 miles to be a whiner?”
Following the backlash, Deputy Minister came out to publicly apologise for his comments. According to him, they were not meant to cast aspersions but an expression of his experience as someone who lived in the Diaspora and has now returned to the country.
“I wish to assure the people of Ghana and all those who have been offended by my comments that I did not in any way intend to sound offensive in my presentation,” a statement issued Thursday and signed by Mr. Ahomka-Lindsay noted.
