The President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), Dr. Joseph Obeng, has demanded forensic investigation and full security protection of market centers as a result of the recent spike in fire outbreaks in these markets.
Addressing the media, he noted that, arson could well be the primary cause of various market fires in the country.
“We demand immediate forensic investigation into these fire outbreaks. All manner of explanations are coming through, we are not going to take it unless forensic investigations have been done and a proper solution is put to this, otherwise, we can’t continue to contain this pain.
“We are also saying that the government should give us security. We seek security and we implore government to deploy as a matter of urgency our security forces to man all these structures. It doesn’t make that the building of the market is being effected by government and political leaders should be burnt by the same political leaders; and I don’t want to believe that this is politically motivated”.
Touching on the alleged involvement of political figures in the fire outbreaks, the GUTA President demanded the “innocent” traders be left out of the ongoing spat and further called for the refurbishing of these markets to suit trading activities.
“The target should be the people who benefit directly from politics. They should identify them and burn their properties, not ours. We are innocent people, we just go and vote as our mandate, and come and continue to do our business. We will not condone this.
“I want also to appeal to all politicians to give us respect, business thrives on peace. We seek for re-modernization of our markets, that we restructure them to suit the trading habitations. The great majority of us, over ninety percent, we sit on the fence on the political arena and we will not allow just a few to take the majority of us for a ride”.
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Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament-elect for the Madina constituency, Francis Xavier Sosu has dispelled claims that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is behind recent market fires across Accra.
Counteracting claims being made by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) over the opposition’s involvement in the fire outbreak, Mr. Sosu noted that, the rumors of the NDC being behind the fires are from the incumbent government who are trying to tarnish the image of the party.
“I realized that there were rumors on social media suggesting that the NDC is behind the burning of some markets. I want everyone to know that the NDC as a political party has as much stake in Ghana as much as the ruling party so the NDC and John Mahama will not support anybody to go round and destroy property as a way of gaining political power.
“So, I want everyone to disregard that rumor as something cooked either by the opposition party to create the impression that the NDC is being desperate. We are not desperate but just trying to uphold the will of the Ghanaian people”
The General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu, had in a statement stated that, the NPP has noted with grave concerns and revulsion, the increasing spate of market fires being experienced across the country in recent times”.
“The sheer rampancy and coincidence with which the markets are burning, coupled with the constant threats by some elements of the opposition to burn markets in order to drum home their concerns over the outcome of the 2020 general elections, leaves no lingering doubt that they are behind these arson attacks.
He further urged the Ghana Police Service to investigate the cause of the fires and ensure perpetrators are arrested and prosecuted.
“While commending the Police for arresting one of the suspected arsonists behind the Kantamanto fire outbreak by name, Daniel Dah Kormlah, who had been identified as an active member of the opposition NDC, we also implore the police to immediately arrest Daniel Tee together with all his accomplices and make them face the full rigors of the law.”
