The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ketu South Constituency, Honorable Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has intimated that she does not agree with the President’s decision to keep Ghana’s land borders closed.
Speaking on the President’s update on measures for the fight against the pandemic, she stated that nothing shows that the recent decision by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to keep Ghana’s land borders closed was based on science.
The Ketu South MP, despite the President’s directive and explanation, averred that the decision was purely fueled by political sentiments. Dzifa Gomashie posited that she is still at variance with the decision to keep the borders still closed since March, 2020.
“I am very disappointed in His Excellency’s statement last night. I do not agree with him that the borders should remain closed. Is that an admission of failure on his part?”
Dzifa Gomashie
President Akufo-Addo in his 27th address to the nation on Wednesday, December 15, 2021 stated that the time is still not right for the land borders to be opened as there appears to be a potential fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
Honorable Dzifa Gomashie, however, did not accept the President’s statement and expressed disappointment about the President’s decision. She stated that the situation in Togo in terms of compliance to the COVID-19 protocols is far better than in Accra, where no legislation enforces the wearing of masks and observing of the protocols as a whole.
President defying ECOWAS directives
According to Honorable Dzifa Gomashie, the President is rather defying the orders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the body whose foremost organ he chairs. She observed that after leading the sub-regional body to pass laws which demand the opening of borders, President Akufo-Addo “comes back home and takes draconian decisions” to spite ECOWAS.
“Why is he taking political decision with the lives of these people?”
Dzifa Gomashie
Addressing the country on December 15, the President explained that the re-opening of land borders may open the floodgates for a 4th wave and therefore, it is inappropriate to do so.
“To my fellow Ghanaians living along the borders of our nation, I know of the difficulties occasioned by the closure of our borders. Until then, I believe this is not the right time to reopen our land borders, especially as we are determined to prevent a 4th wave, and, as such, they will remain closed until further notice.”
President Akufo-Addo
The President indicated that the decision to close the country’s borders, which are a source of livelihoods for many, was necessary because government wanted to limit the importation of the virus into the country.
President Akufo-Addo noted that government is monitoring the level of threat of the disease and ongoing vaccinations in “our neighboring countries, and, as soon as we are satisfied that it is safe to do so, the borders will be open”.
The President then urged Ghanaians to continue to stick to the relevant COVID-19 safety protocols during the Christmas celebrations.
