A member of the NDC legal team, Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, has intimated that the closure of the land border by government was more political than health related.
The legal practitioner posited that looking at the geopolitics and the fiscal location of the country, the principal land borders of the country are the “strong holds of the NDC” and as such attributed the closure to it. Godwin Tamakloe averred that as at the time government was making the claim of the spread of the virus through land borders, the number of people who had COVID-19 in Burkina Faso were lesser than those who had it in Ghana, indicating that it wasn’t the main determinant of the border closure.
“From Aflao, you move to Kpetoe then you move to Nkwanta, Tingase to Paga. Look at all the constituencies within those regions. One of the biggest politics of the NPP had been this conversation that there were foreigners on the last voters register and so, a political decision was taken that with the benefit of a new voters register, we needed to close the borders and ensure strict adherence.”
Godwin Tamakloe
According to Mr. Tamakloe, the closure was political because the ideology behind it was to get a new voters register. He stated that the security presence at the land borders reduced after the voters registration exercise but intimated that, if the same number of security personnel at the border for the voters registration were left at their various posts, they could have regulated and monitored movement. “The whole idea then, was to ensure a minimization of voter registration in the strong holds.“
Mr. Godwin Tamakloe stated that Ghanaians should not be deceived that the spread of the virus was more transmissible through land borders because, the very first COVID-19 case recorded was via an air passenger and not land. He indicated that the land border closure was a subsequent decision taken by government.
Also speaking on the reopening of the land border, the Former MP for Okakwei North, Fuseini Issah, attributed the closure to the number of people who cross the borders and the danger involved in monitoring the movement of people in these areas. “These borders were essentially closed to human traffic. Merchandise and all that have been able to flow through the borders all this while with a very minimal human movement.”
“We had to take those difficult measures. When the President announced it, he knew it wasn’t going to be a funfair but will have an impact even on the economy. Every leader knows the benefits of these businesses and would like to see commerce thrive. It is the way to build the economy and nobody would like to curtail these activities for the fun of it.”
Fuseini Issah
Air movement effectively monitored than land
Touching on why the air borders were opened with the land borders still closed, he disclosed that the keen monitoring of movement by air was effective but practically impossible by land. According to him, now that more persons have been vaccinated and other measures have been put in place to ensure the virus is mitigated, the opening of the land borders can take place.
“Let’s proceed cautiously. We have now observed, we have a very good idea and we have had a lot of people around that area take the jab so, at least the threat of the virus is reduced.”
Fuseini Issah
The Former MP then asked that nobody should be faulted for the needed decision to close the borders as at the time it happened. He explained that at the height of the pandemic, it was understandable that the virus spread with the movement of people and the decision had to be taken in that regard .“Globally, movements were curtailed and we needed to do things that forestalled the movement of people to stop the spread of the virus.”
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