The majority chief whip in Ghana’s parliament, who is the NDC MP for Asawase Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed on Friday 28th February, 2014 displayed his arrogance again to the Ghanaian community in the Diaspora. The MP was being interviewed on Osibisa Radio, a London based radio over the recent the still birth scandal at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. It is important to mention that, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital which has been in the news regarding the allege child theft is in Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed’s constituency. The MP’s display of insolence came as a result when the host of the show attempted to get him to speak about issues raised on the president’s state of the nation address.
Readers will recall that, Alhaji Muntaka, a onetime polling agent for the NPP was in the news in 2009 for his alleged involvement in serious financial malpractices when he was the Minister of State for youth and sports under the late president John Fiifi Atta Mills (of blessed memory) government.
One would have expected that a person occupying such a position (majority chip whip) in the governing party of our dear nation Ghana would utilize any single opportunity available to him to assist his government to educate the populace about his government policies. The chief whip whose position is akin to a minister in government failed to cease the chance to help listeners around the globe to understand President Mahama’s state of the nation address, but rather he decided to insult the good people of Ghana who were listening to him from his hideout.
Speaking on Osibisa Country Report, a well listened to radio programme on Osibisa Radio in London, Muntaka who had earlier on made constructive comments on the ‘Still Birth’ birth saga which in fact helped to clarify certain issues on the missing baby saga, shocked the listening public when he decided to arrogantly hang-up on the host of the show, Mr. Adamu with the excuse the he did not agree to comment on the president’s state of the nations address beforehand.
What a shock? A majority chief whip who should be at the forefront of explaining to the ordinary Ghanaian what his government was doing to arrest the current challenges facing Ghana particularly on economic front, the increase youth unemployment rate and the rapid falling standards in living conditions of Ghanaians, the whip rather decided to arrogantly and insensitively had the guts to say life on air that he did not agree to comment on the president’s address. One would ask, what at all do some of these officials think or take Ghanaians for whose taxes are being used to pay them?
Ministers, MPs and government officials must be reminded that, the good people of Ghana deserve some respect. They must understand that they have a responsibility to the public. The arrogance exhibited by Muntaka on Osibisa Radio, in London in my opinion is even worse than what the TWEA DC said some time ago. The ineptitude and arrogance of these government officials who are paid by tax payers will be resisted if these individuals feel they can do whatever they like.
Is it that Muntaka had no clue about what the president told the people of Ghana or it is that the president’s statement and promises were entirely empty and therefore he did not want to associate himself with those? Whatever Muntaka’s reasons maybe, the NDC party and the Mahama government must sit up or face the wrath of the electorates. I wish to also call on the NDC party to call Muntaka to order and reprimand him for such disgraceful, insensitive and arrogant behavior.
Ghana’s political elite must be reminded that, the good people of Ghana have no interest in the display of unnecessary arrogance and total disregard if the electorate can cause them hugely. Ghanaians are seeking result driven policies and plan to secure the future of our country.
Abdul Adams. - Florence, Italy.
A regular listener of Osibisa Country Report