I Pity President Kufuor - MP

ABODAKPI GOES WILD…AND SPITS FIRE.
” I’M READY TO BE JAILED FOR LIFE. IN SPITE OF PROBLEMS BEING VISITED ON ME, I WON’T FEEL THREATENED… ”

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Keta constituency and one time Minister for Trade and Industry in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) era, Daniel Kwasi Abodakpi has damned whatever the consequences of the court trial he is going through will be and says nothing would break his resolve to fight for what is right, even in the face of life imprisonment. He said to the best of his knowledge, his grandfather was not a coward, and he would not be one.

He also promised to fight with the last drop of blood in him to protect the interests of the people of Keta and expressed sorrow for the president, John Agyekum Kufuor, for expecting too much from his trips abroad, which are aimed at attracting foreign investors.


Mr. Abodakpi made these stunning statements before nearly 100 assembly members from his constituency when he was called upon to give a parliamentary report during the second ordinary meeting of the Keta district assembly at the main hall last Tuesday.


According to the visibly charged MP, his colleagues have been jailed on the Quality Grain issue, not because they had done anything wrong, but because ''they claim'' they did not do their work well.


Speaking at the top of his voice and probably unaware that the ubiquitous Chronicle was a few meters away with a recorder, he said, ''I have heard people say, even in this house, that I would be jailed for l0 years. You know what? I don’t care. My friends have been jailed, not because they stole anything. I have served this country in an executive position, and if because of that they want to jail me for life, I’m ready for it.''


The speeches, which could best be likened to Julius Caesar’s unshakable belief that only cowards die before their deaths, and which came with intermittent applauses from fans and admirers, were made in the presence of James Victor Gbeho, MP for Anlo, the Keta DCE, Emmanuel K. Vorkeh, and divisional, district and unit police commanders who packed the hall as is the case with every assembly session.


Concerning the Keta sea defense project, the MP criticized the building of single housing units for those to be re-settled, saying his people do not want slums to be created for them.

Abodakpi, at a stage, spit several tongues of flames when he warned his constituents concerning government’s intention of inviting Sails Fields of Utah and Westminster Development Limited to start salt production in the area after the project.


''Ada people have become slaves on their own land. I witnessed a situation where a pregnant woman was forced to chew salt as punishment. If the agreements are not in the best interest of the local people, I will fight with the last drop of blood in me,'' he stressed.


He reminded the assembly men of how their forefathers fought wars to protect the lagoon till today; the last one of which, he said, was between the Adas and Akwamus on one side, and the Anlos on the other.


The MP emphasized that large scale salt mining can have adverse effects on the environment, poison the fishes in the lagoon and make the people poorer than they are now.


He added that any attempt to make them slaves on their own land would be resisted. He said he was ever ready to support government create jobs and wealth but things must be done properly, adding that when it comes to salt mining, there is a difference between baseline studies and feasibility studies.


This assertion was promptly supported by Gbeho, who claimed that any attempt to reduce the salinity of the lagoon can lead to water borne diseases like bilharzia in the area.

On President Kufuor’s efforts at attracting foreign investors into the country, the former Trade minister said, ''I’m sorry for the president,'' and asked rhetorically why the investors did not come since the NDC days. According to him, he signed the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) agreement and he knows that the promises made on the presidents trip to Mauritius of coming to set up factories in Ghana is not possible because that country had exhausted its AGOA quota and would not be accepted with extra products in the United States.


Again Abodakpi felt sorry because the $235 million IMF assistance the Finance minister announced in Parliament would not have any positive impact on the economy due to World Trade Organization (WTO) conditions that need to be met.


During question time, two men who wanted to know what benefits the people of Keta hoped to get from demonstrations and criticisms of government policies, incurred the wrath of the two MP’s.


While Gbeho said it was not his duty to go about praising the government in power, Abodakpi advised one of them to learn harder so as to be useful to his parents and society.


Abodakpi later spoke extensively on the district assemblies’ common fund and HIPC fund and expressed his full support for the NDC’s ‘March for Survival’, before finally jumping into his metallic black Cherokee Jeep with registration number GT 8713 T.