Ayisi-Boateng saga: Minority too hypocritical – MP

The Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Frank Annor Dompreh, has said the persistent calls by the Minority in Parliament for Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, George Ayisi-Boateng to be sacked over his comments that NPP members are his topmost priority, smacks of hypocrisy.

According to him, Mr Ayisi-Boateng has not gained notoriety of uttering such comments, therefore his apology must settle the matter.

Mr Ayisi-Boatneg retracted and apologised for the comments 72 hours after his statement was widely condemned by civil society organisations, the Minority and a section of the populace who were calling for his dismissal.

But according to the Minority, the “public apology would not have been rendered by the disgraced envoy if he had not been forced by his superiors at the Flagstaff House and the Foreign Ministry coming 72 hours after intense public pressure on government to act”.

The Minority, in a statement signed by Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, noted that Ghanaians living in South Africa have expressed their displeasure and sense of insecurity under Mr Ayisi-Boateng as their High Commissioner and are demanding that he is not retained.

The statement further said the conduct of Mr Ayisi-Boateng over the last 96 hours have shown him to be unfit and lacking the temperament of a diplomat to occupy the high office of High Commissioner and should therefore resign or be recalled by the President.

But speaking in an interview on the Ghana Yensom show on Accra 100.5FM, hosted by Chief Jerry Forson, on Friday, November 3 Mr Annor Dompreh said: “I am on record to have condemned the comments of the High Commissioner to South Africa, I thought the comments were unfortunate.

“But the hypocrisy on the side of the Minority is too much. This is the first time the man has done such a thing and has accordingly apologised for making those comments. I believe the apology must settle the matter. In any case, we need to allow the President to handle the matter because he is the appointing authority.”