Meeting With Ghanaian Community In Thailand A Rejoinder

The Ghana High Commission in Malaysia with concurrent accreditation to Thailand and beyond has read with dismay, an article posted under the Diasporian News (Sunday, 15th April, 2012) column of the Ghanaweb bearing on the above-mentioned subject. The article purportedly written by an anonymous James Abladey contains factual inaccuracies of the proceedings of the meeting which must be set straight for the benefit of unsuspecting readers. In the first place, neither the attendance sheet of the meeting convened on Monday, 2nd April, 2012 nor the Mission’s existing data bank on Ghanaians in our countries of accreditation contains the said name ‘James Abladey’ and this should set the minds of the august readers wondering about the motive of the writer.

2. Since his assumption of duty over two years ago Ambassador Abodakpi has institutionalised the holding of durbar of Ghanaians at regular intervals in each of the countries of accreditation to brief them on developments in Ghana, available business opportunities in Ghana and their respective countries of residence as well as provider consular and welfare services. It was against this background that the meeting in question was convened. Ambassador Abodakpi updated the thirty-four (34) in attendance on developments back home and as usual encouraged them to take advantage of their presence in Thailand to forge relationships into gruitful joint-venture arrangements in Ghana for their mutual benefit. It is therefore inaccurate for the writer to claim that the Ambassador ‘promised individuals who are able to attract investors to Ghana will receive some percentage from...........investments’.

3. On the question of the Ghanaian alleged to have been in Thailand for the past ten years, the Mission is unable to verify the claim because available records suggest that his presence at the meeting was his first contact with the Mission. The man referred to in the article described himself as a teacher in Thailand and that he had been trained in the

United States of America on Ghana Government Scholarship but chose to seek greener pastures elsewhere rather than returning to Ghana to face poor utility service delivery. He sought to bring the good image of Ghana into disrepute by casting insinuations that were unbecoming of a patriotic citizen. The Ambassador’s reaction to some of the comments feebly captured in the anonymous writer’s article was nothing more than admonition to the effect that every Ghanaian had a crucial role, however modest that might be, to play in making Ghana a better place that compares with any country of his/her imagination in the world. The suggestion that the Ambassador’s reaction generated tension throughout the meeting is incorrect as evidenced by the fact that the agenda was smoothly followed to its logical conclusion with the remaining time spent on addressing issues of welfare and consular matters.

4. The point also needs to be made very unequivocally at this juncture that official and legal records do establish that Mr. Abodakpi has NEVER been accused of or charged with and for that matter convicted for stealing.

5. It is therefore regrettable and worrying that the anonymous writer sought to exploit the occasion of a successful event to peddle falsehood to serve an ulterior motive by waging unwarranted attacks on the hard earned reputation of Ambassador Abodakpi and the entire political spectrum of Ghana. It is incumbent upon us to always remember and be guided by the saying that : Ask your country what you can do for it and not what it can do for you.

HIGH COMMISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA, KUALA LUMPUR

4TH MAY, 2012