The second deputy minority chief whip and National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Ada, Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe Ghansah, yesterday bused a group of fishermen and fishmongers from her constituency to parliament in order for her to ask a question on why a former pre-mix chairman in her constituency had been changed by the National Pre-mix Committee.
Ms Ghansah had filed a question to find out from the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, whether the appointment of a new chairperson of the Landing Beach Committee responsible for Anyaman in her constituency, took into consideration provisions of the National Pre-mix Fuel Committee, 2016 (L.I 2233),
According to her, the new chairperson is the constituency chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), who is even not a fisherman.
She said she did not understand why the previous chairman of the Anyaman Landing Beach Committee – one Raymond Abayateye – who is a fisherman and had served for eight years during the reign of the NDC, should be replaced by the constituency chairman.
Whipping up political sentiments in the house, the minority NDC members roared in unison in support of their chief whip, who was so charged that she kept referring to the large number of ‘hired’ fishmongers in the public gallery that they had severely been affected by the situation because the supply of pre-mix to the area had ceased.
Responding, Ms Elizabeth Afoley Quaye said the chiefs and people of Anyaman had been complaining bitterly about the refusal of Raymond Abayateye – who is perceived to be a strong NDC sympathiser – to account for his stewardship as a portion of the revenue accruing from the sale of the pre-mix fuel had to be used to develop the community.
According to the minister, NPP MP for Krowor, the chiefs and people of that fishing community therefore petitioned the ministry to remove Mr Abayateye from that position and probe him.
Madam Afoley Quaye said the ministry’s follow-up investigations revealed that the former chairperson had not indeed been accounting to his people and so he was asked to step aside and another person appointed to chair the committee in the interim. But the ministry claimed it realised that it was a mistake by the chairman of the National Premix Committee who made that appointment so it (ministry) wrote another letter asking the chiefs and people of Anyaman to find a suitable person who could be appointed to chair the committee.
The minister said the former chairperson, Raymond Abayateye’s political affiliation with the NDC was not in question and that he took that advantage not to account for his stewardship which angered the chiefs and people of the area. The majority NPP members also cheered the minister.
The minister explained that because of some challenges at the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), supply of pre-mix fuel to the area had been affected and gave the assurance that very soon fishermen at Anyaman would be getting pre-mix supply.
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