Heckling of EU Rep. exposes Ghana’s incompetence

The Head of Political Science Department at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Dr. Richard Amoako Baah, has described the heckling of European Union’s Representative in Ghana at the national consultative forum on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) as a blatant display of emotional incompetence on the part of the disgruntled participants.

It was an embarrassing scene for the EU Rep. Claude Maerten, as he was virtually hooted off the stage by participants, mainly Civil Society Organizations strongly opposed to the signing of the pact.

The participating CSOs, led by the Third World Network’s Dr. Yaw Graham, contended that the EU Rep. had no business participating in Ghana’s deliberations on the signing of the pact.

Mr. Claude Maerten had mounted the podium to address the national forum on some concerns raised by participants several of whom are vehemently opposed to the multilateral agreement with the European Union.

But the participants won’t allow him a word. Notable among the hecklers was the Third World Network, whose senior member, Dr. Yaw Graham, accused the organizers of masterminding a forum with a defeatist colonial mentality allowing “so-called development partners to sit in national consultations to be giving instructions and whispering from the back.”

He was escorted with applauds from the audience as he walked off the stage.

But Political Science Lecturer, Dr. Richard Amoako Baah, contends the development was most unfortunate. Speaking on Ultimate Radio’s current affairs programme Fact File he opined that Mr. Claude Maerten’s presence was the biggest opportunity for the stakeholders to have sought clarity on their contentions over the trade accord.

“You don’t understand it, and that is why we are making so much noise. Now you go to this forum and you have a lot of questions. Don’t assume, your own minister is not well versed in this than the person who is the EU minister charged with doing this job. What a resource to have in your midst to ask the man the direct questions to address your concerns, and you ended up driving him out because you are upset for what?” He questioned.

The outspoken Political Science Lecturer charged Ghanaians to wake up to the maturity of international economic deliberations and discard the outmoded “loud mouthed noise about the black man can manage his own affairs mantra.”

“We can’t hide forever. We have become the adopted children of other countries who give us money all the time and now they are telling us to grow up and compete on the same level and you say you won’t do it. We are making all this noise and at the same time begging for money to support our budget. It doesn’t make sense,” he decried.

He advised strongly that the issue Ghana had to focus its energies on was to do with dealing with our inability to properly scrutinize the contract document and to choose the safest path than engage in “shameful arguments.”