NDC Member of Parliament(MP) for North Tongu and Minority Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has described a statement by the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Mr. Eugene Arhin as "incongruous" and one that "defies logic".
According to him, the statement failed to deny his (Ablakwa's) allegations against the president concerning the amount of money spent on the latter's recent foreign trip.
Round 1....Shadow Boxing
The Presidency, on Friday, first dismissed claims by the North Tongu MP in a post on Facebook that President Nana Akufo-Addo ordered a top-of-the-range and most expensive aircraft— the Airbus ACJ319, registered as D-Alex for his recent trip to Belgium and Rwanda; "at a conservative bill of €480,000.00," for his recent trips to Belgium and Rwanda.
Director of Communications at the Presidency, in a three-page statement issued on Friday, June 23, debunked the claims noting that they are inaccurate.
According to him, not only did the President travel to Belgium onboard an Air France Commercial Flight (AF0584), all of President Akufo-Addo’s 12-member delegation also travel commercial.
“These claims by the North Tongu MP are not accurate, and as a Member of Parliament, I was hoping he would have been factual and truthful in his claims, and resisted the urge to engage in propaganda,” Mr Arhin stated.
Eugene Arhin, however, admitted that the president and his delegation flew a chartered flight for 8h 40min from Brussels to Kigali on Wednesday, 22nd June, because of a strike by airport workers in Brussels.
"This was done to ensure that the President made it to Kigali on time to participate in the ground-breaking ceremony on Thursday, 23rd June, for commencement of work on the Pan-African Vaccine Manufacturing Project, involving Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal and BioNTech SE, the German biotechnology company, as well as attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which also is being held in Kigali, Rwanda," he indicated.
Round 2...Fire-For-Fire
But the Minority Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs hit back accusing the current administration of insentivity and insisting "other less fortunate presidents with even inferior and older presidential jets have kept faith with their presidential aircrafts".
Whiles slamming government for refusing to disclose the cost of the trip, he also described the excuse by the President to fly on a chartered flight because of a strike by unionised airport workers in Brusels as one that "defies logic".
"It is terribly unacceptable and woefully undemocratic that the statement from the Presidency refused to disclose to Ghanaians the cost of the President’s latest sybaritic adventure. In all sincerity, the over-elaborate waffle to blame the President’s latest reckless conduct on a strike defies logic seeing that he could have comfortably and safely found his way to Kigali just how he entered Brussels via Paris or through the many busy transit routes," the NDC MP stated via his usual means of communication; facebook.
Verbal Gymnastics
The Presidency will however not let matters slide, as during the weekend, Eugene Arhin issued another statement; this time more detailed and caustic in nature.
According to him, Hon Ablakwa's lie was so blatant that "no amount of verbal gymnastics by the MP can alter the import of his statement," and also questioned the motive of the MP's persistent criticism on the president.
"I was hoping that he would back up this claim of the President having travelled to Brussels aboard a chartered plane, as his Thursday statement suggested. Unashamedly, he refused to make mention of it, let alone apologise for it . .
" . . Once again, it is obvious that the Honourable Ablakwa finds these attacks on the President to be his pathway to political prominence through negative propaganda, and is determined to pursue this course, no matter how ridiculous and insulting his statements are," Eugene Arhin stated.
Populist Reasons
The statement added that the country is "reaping rewards of bitter seeds sown" of the NDC's populist conduct had the "far-sighted decision of then President John Agyekum Kufuor, to procure two (2) presidential jets not been altered" by his successor (a Mills/Mahama administration).
He further pointed out “less endowed countries” continue to keep faith with their jets simply because their presidential jets are "far superior" than that of Ghana's; eventhough we pride ourselves as having second biggest economy in West Africa.
"Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa states that “less endowed countries” continue to keep faith with their jets, and tries desperately to compare them with our presidential jet. Of course, they would. As the Ranking Member on the Committee on Foreign Affairs in Parliament, he should know that the presidential jets of “less endowed countries” in the West African Region, for example, are far superior to what Ghana, West Africa’s second biggest economy, can boast of. Niger has a Boeing 737-700(BBJ); Mali an Airbus A319; Burkina Faso a Boeing 727; Chad a Boeing 737-74Q(BBJ); Togo a Boeing 707-3L6B; Cote d’Ivoire an Airbus A319; and Senegal a new Airbus “A320 Neo”. Which of these aircrafts, operated by “less endowed countries”, in terms of capacity and flight range, can Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa compare to Ghana’s Falcon 900EX?" he quizzed.
“ . . It seems that he, to quote President Kufuor, knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing,” the statement stated.
Watch Video Below
Attempt To Save President's Battered Image?
However, it appears one side of the feuding party is still not fully satisfied with the two-rounds of "fire-for-fire".
Hon Ablakwa was on Okay FM's "Ade Akye Abia" programme on Monday, to stress the need for frugality in these austere times and also press home his demand for accountability.
To him, either Mr. Eugene Arhin is not being forthright with Ghanaians because he is not fully abreast with the entire cost of the president's travels or he is deliberately lying to Ghanaians to save the already battered image of the first gentleman of the land.
Expounding how he arrived at his figure, the North Tongu MP revealed that if one charters an aircraft for private engagement purposes, "you are billed for the distance covered to arrive at the pick-up point, billed for the waiting period which includes waiting time for the passenger, layover period for crew rest and the return leg (as this was not an “empty leg” or “dead head” charter)".
"D-Alex flew 1 hour and 19minutes from Germany to Belgium, 8 hours and 40minutes from Brussels to Kigali, did a layover for some 5 hours before flying back to Germany at an 8hour and 15 minutes flight duration.
"This is how I arrived at our rather generous 21-hour cost analysis. It should be noted that in addition to the hourly rates, other industry charges such as landing charges, ramp fees, reposition fees etc. always apply.
"So is Mr. Eugene Arhin trying to tell us that he does not know all these or he is putting out something to cover up their penchant waste of the poor tax payer's money? Look, those monies spent on that trip can be used to settle the agitating school feeding caterers and possibly pay allowances of trainee nurses who have been begging the Akufo Addo government for their promised allowances," he added.
