Stop Politicising Kantamanto Fire Outbreak

The defeated 2012 National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate at Weija-Gbawe Constituency, Mr. Sam Asamoah, has stressed that those who are politicising the fire outbreak at Kantamanto market should stop the practice.

He said it would be unthinkable for government agents or the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to set fire at the Kantamanto market to burn the many wares worth billions of cedis because the government wants to reconstruct the market.

Mr. Asamoah, who was speaking to pressmen at Kantamanto, when he personally visited a relative whose items worth over GH¢200 million burnt to ashes, said it is about time Ghanaians analyzed such situations objectively.

He recalled that when the house of former President JJ Rawlings got burnt, a social commentator made an ‘irresponsible statement’ on radio that he [Mr. Rawlings] intentionally burnt his house for a new one to be built for him by the late President J.E.A Mills.

Mr. Asamoah further stressed that so far the response from government after the Kantamanto fire outbreak “was not bad.”

He said the visit by the Vice-President, H. E Amissah-Arthur, and his call for the market to be rebuilt is encouraging.

He called on Insurance companies and banks to support the victims.

He asked the ministry of local government and rural development to set up a fund for companies and individuals to contribute money to supplement what government, insurance companies and banks would be offering to the victims.

Mr. Asamoah noted that the emotional comments from some of the traders whose wares got burnt is not helping, and advised them to exercise patience as government tries to address the problem.

He also called for a second look at the electrical wiring of markets if possible to get them replaced by new ones.

Source: Today