Pratt outraged at gov’t decision to solicit help from foreign fire experts

Managing Editor of the “Insight” newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has expressed his indignation at the decision by the government to engage fire experts from the United States of America to ascertain the real causes of the fire outbreaks in major markets in the country.

Expressing ire at the decision, the senior journalist said it’s an insult to the country’s security apparatus; wondering if local security agencies lack the requisite expertise to investigate the incident.

According to him, "it’s a mark of total lack of confidence in the security system…It’s so embarrassing.”

President Mahama on Thursday announced that the government will seek foreign assistance by bringing down fire experts from the United States of America to ascertain the real causes of some devastating fire outbreaks recently.

President Mahama announced this when he visited the Makola Number 2 market to ascertain the extent of damage of the market that was destroyed by flames a couple of days ago.

According to him, though no evidence had proven that the fire outbreaks were orchestrated, the spate and timing of the outbreaks had gone beyond the ordinary and, therefore, needed additional support to get to the cause of the fires.

Over 10 fire outbreaks have been recorded in Accra and Kumasi since the beginning of the year, damaging property running into millions of cedis.

The trend has raised a lot of eyebrows, with politicians pointing accusing fingers at each other on various media networks.

President Mahama’s visit to the destroyed market was to sympathise with the victims and to tell them what government was doing to ameliorate their plight.

“…it's very sad, but God knows best. What we must do is to protect what is left behind. God should be with you all, He only knows why all these things are happening. Government is investigating the recent fire outbreaks and whoever will be caught for this, we will deal with the person drastically,” President Mahama said.

But commenting on the issue on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” Morning Show on Friday, Kwesi Pratt wondered whether the move could not be described as a clear indication that the government has lost confidence in the local security operatives or an admission that they are ill-equipped to handle the scale of the incidents.

An outraged Kwesi Pratt bellowed: “our politicians, our leaders and so forth, sometimes they are so lazy; so lazy. I mean they are so lazy. It’s unbelievable; lazy, lazy” and dared “everybody who has evidence that the fire outbreaks, which have happened in our markets, are masterminded by a certain political party to make the government unpopular” to present the evidence.

He implored the authorities to sensitize the public about the causes of fire outbreaks and also demonstrate some precautionary measures to the public, so as to help avert further occurrences.

Bemoaning the nature of some markets in the country as “pre-historic”, he called for the establishment of modern markets in the metropolis to check the situation, stressing that modern markets should be built in such a fashion that it can be insulated against fire, with facilities such as clinic, daycare centre and bank.