Bawumia lacks understanding of our country – Ablakwa

As far as the conversation around the Okada business is concerned, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has said Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia lacks adequate understanding of issues in the country.

This is in reaction to the vice president’s recent declaration that government has no intentions of legalising or regularising the use of Okada for commercial purposes.

According to Mr Ablakwa, the vice president, and for that matter, the NPP government has lost touch with the basic needs of people in some remote parts of the country.

He insists that if the vice president had enough knowledge about the nature of roads in some remote parts of the country, legalising the Okada business and subsequently regularising it would not even be submerged in controversy.

Speaking in an interaction on Citi News, Mr Ablakwa said, “once again this is a government that is in a state of confusion, a government that is in total bewilderment…so again credibility crisis, a government that has lost touch with the concrete reality of the people.”

“The vice president clearly does not understand our country. There are many parts of this country where the year of roads has been such a hoax that its only Okada that can take you to your destination…if you are in traffic and you want to get somewhere in very good time, Okada will get you to your destination faster…,” he added.

Mr Ablakwa insisted that the Akufo-Addo-led government is confused and beginning to take knee-jerk actions to the ridicule that greeted their initial reaction to NDC’s manifesto promise of legalising the Okada business.

“…This latest U-turn of one week is just the same U-turn on Okada so what do we then do with the Transport Minister’s statement when it comes to Okada?...They are now beginning to respond to the general ridicule that has greeted them…,” he argues.

The vice president has said instead of government legalising the Okada business, operators in the coming days, will be offered new cars on a lease basis to ensure safety and convenience.

Meanwhile, prior to this, the Transport Minister indicated that government and its stakeholders have begun the second phase of consultation meetings on the Okada legalisation.