The Minority in Parliament has added its voice to calls by some organizations and individuals for the country to go into an immediate lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The Caucus said the exponential jump in the number of coronavirus cases from 68 to 132 cases in a day shows that the situation was not getting any better and that things are growing from bad to worse.
“With the kind of expertise at the disposal of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) and echoed by some well-meaning Ghanaians, I think that the time has come for the government to listen to wise counsel,” Mr James Agalga, Ranking Member of Defence and Interior Committee, said on Thursday.
In an interaction with the media at Parliament House in Accra, Mr Agalga, who is also the MP for Builsa North Constituency, refuted claims by a section of the people that a lockdown is not practical in Ghana.
A section of the public is of the view that a lockdown should not be introduced in Ghana in the face of coronavirus pandemic because of Ghana’s large informal sector and concerns on how the government is going to provide for the needs of the masses in case of a lockdown.
Mr Agalga urged Government to look for funds and support the country to go into an immediate lockdown.
Mr Agalga referred to suggestion from Mr Cassiel Ato Forson, Minority Ranking Member on Finance, to the Government of Ghana to tap into the resources that have accrued from the Eurobond the country issued to deal with the coronavirus crisis.
Citing India and South Africa which are in a lockdown, Mr Agalga said these countries have the same characteristics like Ghana and that government can draw useful lessons from those countries.
Mr Agalga, who is also a former Deputy Minister for the Interior, expressed concern about the country’s overcrowded prisons and appealed to President Nana Akufo-Addo to exercise his prerogative of mercy under the 1992 Constitution of Ghana to grant pardon to petty offenders who have been incarcerated in order to decongest the country’s prisons.
He explained that at the moment the country’s prison population is about 14,000 and yet the prison facilities can only contain about 8,000 inmates, meaning that, overcrowding in the prisons is about 50 percent.
“In this trying moment, we must not forget our prison inmates” Mr Agalga said adding that should there be any outbreak of the coronavirus disease in the prisons, the nation would be heading towards a disaster.
The former Deputy Interior Minister said the last time the President granted pardon to prison inmates in the country was ten days after he had been sworn into office in 2017, and since then he has not granted pardon to prisons inmates.
“I am saying that there is a compelling reason why those powers which are provided under constitution be invoked at this moment,” he said.
Source: GNA
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Lockdown, bring Infected Ghanaians from China, this that and that.... from these gymiigymii NDC peopple. Why this desperation to wreck more havoc amd mayhem on this poor country. NDC people should lock themselves up in their filthy god-forsaken stolen rich homes and leave Ghana alone.
Are there any strategists in ndc anymore. What happened to the poor peoples party. Npp will maintain their middle class voters and share the votes of the underprivileged as well. Ndc anti free school fees and calling the government to lock down the country will cause a bigger defeat for the ndc. The president had no option but to lock down the country, that is why I expected the ndc not to suggest it but wait to use it politically against the npp as the party against the underprivileged people. I missed the days of the young Ahwois, Guzzy Tanor, Totobi,Adjetey, Sly, name them." JJ do something before you die '.
ATTENTION TO ALL READERS. KINDLY OBSERVE TODAY'S DATE 27-03-2020 AND KNOW THAT NO NEW CASE WILL SPRING UP AGAIN. WHEREVER THIS VIRUS CAME FROM HAS GONE BACK THAT SAITH THE LORD THROUGH HIS ABLE SERVANT AND PROPHET TB JOSHUA. BELIEVE IT OR NOT THE SPREAD HAS CEASED, STOPPED OR GONE AWAY. THE FEAR HAS DEPARTED FROM OUR COMMUNITIES. UNLIKE THE PREVIOUS DAYS WHERE PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT RISING NUMBERS. THE END HAS COME FOR THIS CORONA VIRUS, PRAISE BE TO GOD. THANK YOU JESUS AMEN
And they claim they have Ghanaians at heart? Nation wreckers and greedy politicians.
NDC should leave Ghanaians alone......they have nothing, absolutely nothing for us again.Too desperate for power....Why?
NDC..NEVER AGAIN
Abronye DC or whatever his name is said we have two epidemics we are currently dealing with, which is the COVID-19 and NDC. I think he is very right.
ooooh NDC!!! which school did these people attend at all?
I sometimes get amazed about some of the suggestions and arguments that NDC brings out. If they were in power would they have locked down? NDC are hypocrates and a threat to Ghana's development. Any time NDC speaks, it is something which will bring Ghana back. Oh NDC. Well I will suggest to them the NDC that if they think they are threatened simple the should order all their supporters to lockdown themselves. I think this will be the best suggestion for John Mahama and his NDC. Why the lockdown suggestion. If so why were they putting pressure on Nana Addo to bring down Ghanaian students from Chine. But what NDC has not realised is that God sent Nana Addo to rescue Ghana so every suggestion they bring, Nana Addo's decision overides whatever they say. NDC think.
if i am a member of npp or the govt i will have sent the information vans to areas like nima, ashiaman, odododio, ablekuma and other constituencies where ndc mps are and inform them about how their mps thinks about their welfare, unfortunately where these ndc mps are coming from they are the less develop areas, and because they are living in the mansions and can afford to store water and food, they dont queue for public toilets that is why they can make such suggestions, their constituent should vote against them. or if there is lockdown they should look for their houses and join them there.