Hon.Cynthia Morrison
_Dear Hon. Cynthia Morrison,_
I bring you greetings from Apam in the Gomoa West Constituency of the Central Region where I see majority of our people making frantic efforts to observe the WHO protocols for combating the covid-19 pandemic, especially the protocol on social distancing. It’s very refreshing to see even the not – too – lettered follow the protocols religiously.
I am a regular listener of _Asempa FM’s_ late afternoon show, _Ekosii Sen_ , and I must confess that I always feel extremely proud to listen to interviews with women like yourself who are deeply involved in the governance of this our beautiful Ghana. Your voice always reminds me of the likes of Hon. Ama Benyiwa Doe, Madam Sarah Yeboah, Hon. Hannah Serwaah Tetteh and Hon. Madam Joyce Aidoo, just to mention a few, and the solid foundation these amazing daughters of Central Region laid for women in national politics. You, Hon. Cynthia Morrison, have no reason to fail in your political career as you have the exploits of these solid women to guide you.
I have decided to write this short epistle to you because of the popular adage _”nea otwa sar no nnyim de n’ekyir akyea (to wit, he who cuts the path does not know how crooked the path is).”_ As a young woman who aspires to build a career in politics, I find it extremely necessary to draw your attention to the crooked path you are busily cutting in your political career.
Day after day, and at any given time that your office has been faced with situations where you are directly called upon to deal with problems that fall squarely within the functions of your office, you have been found wanting and always end up resorting to the throwing of baseless tantrums all over the place instead of providing that decisive leadership expected of you. From the missing Takoradi girls to the arrest and trial of drivers in your constituency for holding demonstrations over the extremely bad nature of their roads, from the kayayes arrested at Ejisu while trying to flee from the lockdown in Accra to your very recent loose talk on Asempa FM in which you cautioned President Mahama to seek permission before supporting hungry households within the lockdown areas with foodstuffs, in all these you fall short of expectation. You are certainly operating within realms directly opposite to the shining examples your predecessors left behind.
It would be recalled that, Former President and Flag Bearer of the National Democratic Congress, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, a couple of days ago in a live video, made a presentation of foodstuffs which are targeted at supporting a whopping 20,000 households within the lockdown areas. The foodstuffs made up of bags of rice, canned fish, cooking oil, tomato paste among others, were to be handed over to Traditional Authorities and Islamic Leaders in the lockdown areas for onward distribution to vulnerable households within their jurisdictions. This modus operandi adopted by the Former President and Flag Bearer of the NDC was to do away with the over politicisation of such reliefs as has become the order of the day, even with distribution from State institutions like the NADMO. This huge donation follows a similar one in which President Mahama presented several sets of PPEs worth Gh¢390,000.00 to frontline health workers across the country to help them stand up firmly in the fight against covid-19.
Whereas this gesture by President Mahama in these difficult times has been hailed and welcomed by level-headed Ghanaians, you a Minister who should be the happiest for this relief to the very people you sit in that air-conditioned office and claim to protect, sat in the studios of _Asempa FM_ and did not only seek to insult the Former President but also issued a threat to him to seek permission before he distributes those foodstuffs. Madam, what exactly is your purpose in that office?
Over the last of couple of days, the nation has been confronted with several complaints of serious politics in the ongoing distribution of governmental support to the vulnerable. There have been reports and complaints of people having been requested to produce NPP party cards before they could be given what is supposed to be a State intervention. Others throw down the food from moving trucks and the vulnerable are expected to chase the trucks and catch the food. Social media has been awashed with videos of food being distributed to these vulnerable people. In fact, if those videos are anything to go by, I will say that what is being distributed by the State to these vulnerable people is more dangerous than covid-19. Madam, have these primitive things come to your notice? As for what is being done by NADMO, the least said about it the better.
I had anticipated that the repeated calls by President Nana Akufo Addo on the citizenry to unite and support government in this fight against this ruthless enemy would be a helpful guide to you, considering the sensitive nature of the office you occupy. I had anticipated that you would rather use your office to build a strong working relationship with the office of the Former President and Flag Bearer of the NDC to ensure an effective distribution of the donations. I had anticipated that you would rather place the interests of the vulnerable masses ahead of your parochial and partisan interests. But hey, here we are. You rather chose to engage in completely needless and clueless exercise of temper tantrums.
Madam, you should know that Ghana is faced with a very mean enemy that has reduced even the most mighty nations to ground zero and on their knees begging for assistance from other nations. Ghana does not only need assistance from other nations but also from citizens within who can afford to extend a hand of solace to the vulnerable. This is exactly what President Mahama and many other kind-hearted citizens have been doing since the outbreak of covid-19 in the country. No one needs your permission and no one will seek any permission from you in order to show compassion to humanity, most especially in such a time of crisis. This is not the right time for anyone to sit on any high horses. It is a sign of complete weakness and I encourage you to shake it off. Please jump down from the high horse so you can see the real problems and be able to appreciate such invaluable humanitarian gestures as extended by His Excellency John Dramani Mahama to 20,000 households in the lockdown areas. Moving on, I humbly implore you to be mindful of the sterling examples set by your predecessors and be guided accordingly.
I wish you well.
#breakthechain
#stopthespread
STAY AT HOME!
Abena Ehun
Deputy Communication.
Afrotower24News 