The National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammi Awuku has described as "unpresidential", former President Mahama's decision to form a COVID-19 response team.
Former President and Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, on Sunday, March 22, 2020, revealed that the opposition party has submitted a proposal of a national action plan on combating the Coronavirus disease to the Speaker of Parliament.
NDC COVID-19 Response Team
Speaking at a church service to end a three-day prayer and fasting organised by the NDC, he also announced the formation of a technical team to spearhead the affairs of the national action plan, pointing it out that it is evidence of their commitment to assisting the government in the fight against the pandemic.
“I have also already announced that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is committed to assisting government in this fight by availing all technical and logistical resources at our disposal. As evidence of our seriousness in that respect, we have assembled a technical team to guide our efforts and to lead the NDC’s response to the evolving situation. The team is an assembly of experts from the many fields that will be required to implement a national action plan on COVID-19,” Mahama reportedly said.
Politicizing Coronavirus Situation
But some have questioned the rationale for and the terms of reference of this response team since they consider it an unnecessary favour seeking attempt by the opposition party.
Unpresidential Conduct
Speaking to this on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', Sammi Awuku who commended President Akufo-Addo for his proactiveness in curbing the spread of the scourge, indicted the NDC leader for seeking attention in dire moments for political gain by arrogating unto itself the powers to set up parallel structures to counter that of the state.
''I am struggling to understand former President Mahama and the NDC. Do we establish opposition NADMO in times of floods?'' he quizzed.
"...Mahama's conduct was not presidential…there was no need to form any committee except for political gain. They have travelled beyond basic politics. What kind of suggestions are they going to give? Politicizing this is the lowest point in this whole discussion...
"...every step of the Government goes a long way to help curb the spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The government has recalled all retired health experts to help curb the spread of the disease…This is not the time to play politics but I was surprised to realize that the leader of the NDC has set up a covid-19 response team. There is no country where an opposition party has set up a response team. what is the terms of reference? It was a wrong move, totally needless and sought to politicize the situation and I think the former President’s conduct was not presidential at this point in time," the NPP National Organiser said.
Members of NDC’s COVID-19 response team
1. Nana Kofi Quakyi (Assistant Professor in Public Health/Specialist in Health Economics)
2. Dr. Vida Yarkong (PhD in Interdisciplinary Medicine)
3. Dr. Prosper Akanbong – Immediate Past CEO of Tamale Teaching Hospital and Physician Consultant
4. Dr. Jehu Appiah: Senior Medical Consultant and former General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association
5. Prosper Bani – Former Minister of Interior and former Head of UNDP’s Crisis Prevention and Recovery Team for Africa
6. Dr. Zanetor Rawlings – Medical Doctor
7. Alex Segbefia – Former Minister of Health
8. Mintah Akandoh – Ranking Member on the Parliamentary Committee of Heath
9. Prof. Margaret Kweku – UHAS
10. Dr. Jonas Asamoah – Public Health Expert, Hawa Memorial Hospital, Osiem.
11. Mrs. Mawuena Trebarh – (Communications Specialist) NCB-HQ
Source: Peacefmonline.com/GHANA
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NDC TEAM MUST BE CAREFULLY MONITORED BY THE NATIONAL SECURITY. THEIR AGENDA IS TO SPREAD COVID-19 IN GHANA. THEY ARE TO SUPPORT PEOPLE WITH COVID 19 TO SPREAD IT WHEN COVID-I9 EMERGED IN CHINA NDC SPEARHEADED BY OKUDJTO ABLKWA UNREASONBLYYY AND DIABOLICALLY PUT PRESSURE ON GOVERNMENT TO EVCUATE GHANAINIAN STUDENTS IN CHINA. WE ALL KNOW HOW STUPIDD THAT SUGGESTION WAS AND WHAT DANGEROUS THE RESULT WOULD HAVE BECOME . WE THANK GOD WE HAVE WISE AND BOLD PEOPLE LIKE NANA ADDO AND HIS TEAM AS LEADERS OF THE NATION. INSTEAD OF NDC LEARNING A LESSON FROM SUCH A SERIOUS BAD JUDGEMENT THEY ARE STILL DETERMINED TO DISTURB THE PEACE OF THE GOVERNMENT. THEY WOULD LIKE TO CAUSE DISTRACTION TO DISTURB PEACE OF THINK WHO WE NEED TO GUIDE THE NATION. THIS SHOW CLEARLY THAT NDC IS NOT ONLY SHAMELESSSS AND DISGRACEFULLL BUT THEY ARE ALSO MISCHIEVIOUS. WE THE GOOD PEOPLE OF GHANA ARE AWARE OF NDC EVILL AGENDA LONG BEFORE CONVID-19 AND WILL NOT SIT DOW TO TOLERATE THEIR DANGEROUS CHOICE. WE SHALL EXPOSE THEM AND CONDEMN ANY DEMONICC MOVE THEY MAKE. GOD IS AT OUTSIDE. HE KNOWS EVERY SECRETE VIEW OF NDC. HE IS ALREADY CLEANING UP ALL THE EVILLL IN THE WORLD WITH CORONA VIRUS AND HE HIMSELF WILL TAKE CARE OF NDC, IF THEY DO NOT ABANDON THEIR EVILLL AND REPENT. VERY SOON WE SHALL ALL SEE WHAT GOD HAS FOR NDC.
Name: Eben Please this warning is going to all Ghanaians . anyone who read this comment Should please help me to spread it to many Ghanaians and if possible to Authorities and the security to take Strong action about this. I am not a prophet or investigator but what ever God reveals to me is for real. The Lord reveals to my spirit that some very powerful and wicked leaders of NDC Political Party have gotten hold of the Corona virus from infected persons and Are doing everything possible to infect many people in Accra and Kumasi by way of conterminating food, drinks and fruits on the street and at some hospitals to cause fear and panic so that the whole nation will demand the government to extend the ban on public isolation So that the electoral commission can not proceeds with the new voters ID card or the will not be enough time to make the registration. Please I know people will insult me but I will advice people not Eat any cold food without heating the food to be very warm and if possible people should Avoid fruits in the Street for the time been and also they should not visit hospitals they are not sure of their safety. My Kindness advice to government is to lock down the country and ask every body to stay home and eat at home. Now the security should monitor the activities of the NDC corona virus team because not all of the team members but some among them are part of this evil plot . Am done lets he or she Who love his or her life share and take this warning serious or they can trust politicians and risk their life for their desperation of power.
NPP is not ready to lead. We have a crisis and all you are concerned with is this load of bullsh!t. Shouldn't an opposition party contribute to governance? Shouldn't they give expert advice to the minority in parliament so they can contribute to governance? Id!ots like Awuku should stop wasting our time. Square pegs in round holes. They call them think-tanks.
By the time Corona is done with us, or we are done with it, many “values” would also have come under serious questioning and threat. Already facing questioning is the cathedral, which is costing over one hundred million US dollars to construct, while first class health facilities started by the former government have been left to rot, and now we are slinking to the IMF, calabash in hand, to beg for the same amount to fight Corona. And oh, whatever happened to “Ghana Beyond Aid”? There is no irony here but folly! Big time! And all those who have lined up to applaud this folly must call to mind the king’s new clothes! Using an electoral mandate to pursue a personal discriminatory proselytising agenda is not only insensitive and divisive, but worse, provocative.
IS today that i really know that the NPP is full od silly and people who are refusing to think. The COVID 19 doesn't know NDC or NPP and if the former president who is a leader of a very strong political power is bringing on board to help protect ghanaians from been killed by Covid 19 , that is a laudable idea for any reasonable and right thinking NPP members to support. The NPP SILLY AND COW DUNG BRAINY PEOPLE LIKE SAMMY AND WUNTUMI MUST DTOP THE FL0U0LISH TALKS.
What were you doing in Haruna Iddrisu's office when he was the minister for Communications. AFAG members including Sammy Awuku. Pretending to be proffering advice on how to assist him drive the telecom sector to benefit Ghanaians. It serves NDC right.
Come to think of it. Your first response to this convi 19 was Akuffo Addo to bring Ghanaians in China back home. Now you are quite on that. Mahamah only thinking about how to win elections without any policy but criticisms. Tell us what you will do differently.
... assuming he wins power, "it will be hard for his government to end the outbreak"? If it willl be hard for him when in power, what even makes him think he's the one with the magic wand to solve jt now that he's in opposition? I wouldn't call anyone dummbb here, let people who see what Mahama is doing form their own opinions. Clearly if he's doing this because he thinks of winning power, that then is not about the country, but about making his own political future. Isn't this what has been said in several comments here that this whole pretense of a support is about himself? But wait a minute, this outbreak cannot really wait until Mahama becomes president, that will be too late, unfortunately. Mahama knows in his heart he's playing a political chess, and you know in your head he's not genuine and can't possibly be. How can one even call for Kuffour, Rawlings etc to form their own response teams, without pauseing to ponder the absurdity and the consequential chaos, just because "nobody is stopping them"? Truth hurts, but truth always stands!
You are the dumbest npp guy I have ever read from. Mahama is the leader and the candidate of the NDC. He is eligible to run for a second time and a potential president in waiting. If he doesn't become proactive now, in the event he wins the election and God forbid the COVID 19 is not completely eradicated, it would be hard for his government to end the outbreak because he had already started the work outside government before coming in. Why are politics making many people headless. All he is doing is to ensure he is on the right footing. Anyway, kuffour and Rawlings can do same who is holding their hands.
For those who do not see, this is the absurdity of what Mahama has done: assuming Kuffour, Rawlings also form their so-called technical response teams, where will we be heading? By the way, if the CPP, APC, NDP, PNC flag bearers also formed theirs? All hands on deck does not mean parallel response teams. Yes, Mahama is a very key and very important stakeholder in our national affairs. What he needed to do, if he was genuine, was to have reached out to the current government "behind the scenes" to offer any support he has. Don't forget what Ghana needs at this time is uniformity of purpose. Now, if his team is not absorbed into the national team, is he going run parallel educational campaigns or what? Every analytical person sees through this tyoe of pretense of a support. To what extent can the NDC go to win the hearts of Ghanaians, if they cluld, for political power? This is not good for Ghana at this time.