Coronavirus food distribution: No one has the time to check party colours - Lydia Alhassan

Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Lydia Seyram Alhassan has added her voice to an ongoing debate that most NPP MPs are only distributing food to members of their party as parts of the country is observing a three-week lockdown.

Speaking to the media, the MP said her team, for instance, makes sure to treat everybody equally hence gives out food items to people who need them and not party members.

“I am the MP for Ayawaso West Wuogon and not for one particular party. We are making distribution to various homes. We don’t look at party colours but individuals,” she said.

NDC parliamentary candidate for the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency donated some food items to a woman who claimed she had been denied food because she wasn’t a card-bearing member of the ruling New Patriotic Party.

There have also been concerns of government institutions focusing on NPP members in the distribution of food items meant for the vulnerable in society.

But the Member of Parliament says neither herself nor her team members have the time to look at party colours when distributing food because their focus is to help those who need it.

Lydia Alhassan made this comment when she presented 3000 bags of 5kg rice, 500 crates of eggs and 2000 pieces of alcohol-based hand sanitizers among other items to the churches within her constituency for onward distribution to the needy.

The event took place at the Abelemkpe congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana in the presence of some members of the clergy from various churches in the constituency.

“This gesture was to augment the interventions of President Nana Addo and further help the church to locate the vulnerable members to meet their needs in these trying moments,” she said.

She added that her partnership with the churches is to ensure her constituents don’t risk their lives because of food.

“You know your members better than I because you represent a lot of the constituents… When I began sharing the items to the constituents, my team and I were struggling to get the people to observe the social distancing protocols. I became alarmed by their actions and felt the need to change the approach. I didn’t want to have a situation where my constituents would risk their lives because of one bag or rice or a bottle of oil. That’s why I decided to change the strategy.”

The pastors present thanked the MP for the gesture and promised to give the items out to the persons who are in need of them.

The MP also urged her constituents to “adhere to the precautionary measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 in Ghana. Together we will make Ghana rise again.”

The lockdown in Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Kumasi is part of measures put in place by government to curb the spread of Coronavirus in the country.

Ghana has recorded 834 cases of the pandemic with 9 deaths and 99 recoveries.