Dual citizens shouldn’t serve in government – Mubarak

Kumbungu MP Ras Mubarak has expressed sharp disagreement with former Foreign Affairs Minister Hanna Tetteh who has suggested that dual citizens should be allowed to hold national positions.

Ms Tetteh’s suggestion comes after seven candidates of Nigerian heritage were elected into the parliament of the United Kingdom in the election held on Thursday June 8.

“If I said this when in office, it would have been seen as self-serving. I think we should amend our laws for dual citizens to serve in government,” she said in a tweet.

It is against the constitution for persons holding dual citizenship to serve in public office in Ghana. To do that, one must renounce his/her citizenship of the foreign country.

Commenting on the issue, Mr Mubarak said on Monday June 12 that he completely disagreed with Ms Tetteh.

“We cannot allow someone who owes allegiance to another country, though a Ghanaian, serve in our government. The framers of the constitution were spot on.

It would be useful to tap into the expertise of Ghanaians abroad but those who wish to serve, as our constitution says, must first renounce their allegiance to other countries if they are holders of dual nationality,” he indicated in a Facebook post.