The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko Mensah says no one should be haggling over the absence of any person from the Western Region making it in the lineup of 19 cabinet ministers named by President Akufo Addo.
Speaking to Kwame Malcolm host of Radio 360 ‘s flagship morning programme “Y3nsom” in Takoradi, the Western Regional Minister who is also Member of Parliament for Takoradi said the commentary on the issue after the release of the list of cabinet ministers is superfluous to say least.
“I want to say something, there is a region that does not even have a full ministeŕ; added to this, that provision in the constitution, for me, I see it as very superfluous because everyone attends cabinet meetings even party general secretary and the chairman are all in attendance. Every minister attends cabinet meeting…even you host, Kwame if you are doing something in Ghana that is very important, you will be taken to cabinet meeting so I do not think anybody should be fighting over this issue because I believe when you are given a position, it is what you can do for Ghana and your people you represent that is important so let us not belabour this matter as the President has the right to select by the Constitutional provisions and he has done so and we leave it at that. The most important thing is that we will get what we need to develop as a region and a people,” he expatiated.
When asked if the lack of a Westerner casts a slur on the Region since gone were the days of Hon Joe Baidoe; the late Hon Gladys Asmah, Hon Paapa Owusu Ankomah who all made it to cabinet, he posited that nothing of that sort must be entertained.
” … it is somebody who wants to pitch us against each other so we fight each other in our party; you know that since I became a Regional minister you can bear witness what has transpired by way of development so such deductions are only to make us get at each other within the party and that must not be our target. Our target as a region and a party is to make sure the dual carriageway to Tarkwa is executed, the road from Bawdie to Samereboi and the dual carriageway from Takoradi to Sekondi is done as well as market circle reconstructed and the PTC interchange all done; as well as booming employment opportunities; Hon Okyere Darko added.
He wondered how come the Western Region sits on gold and contributes more than 50 percent to national GDP yet until the advent of Free SHS under President Nana Akufo Addo, only 13,000 could make it to the senior hight school but now over 27, 000 are making that mark.
Kwabena Okyere Darko Mensah said a good example is Saint Marys’ Boys School that has now more than doubled its intake in admissions and the boarding facilities due to Free SHS. He added that a place like Wassa East District hitherto had only 250 students attending SHS but now has hit over 2,500 indigenes as a result of Free SHS.
He said the region has had its fair share of development under the Nana Akufo Addo government as it is not only putting people in cabinet that matter but rather what the President , his government and party envisions for your area that when executed matters he further elaborated.
The Western Regional Minister advised further that there is a need for the region to keep pushing for what it deserves ;
“..it is not going to (cabinet) meetings that is the issue but rather when the national cake is shared we will get ours that is most important so I am clear in my mind that is does not cast a slur on anybody and what we should busy ourselves with is to fight for what we believe will help move our region forward and also when we get what is due, we will put it to good use for the unborn generations to also benefit . No one must break a sweat over this issue as I disagree with anyone who wants to pitch us against each other by throwing it in our face that during this era this was a minister of this calibre etc which really does not matter but rather what you do with that portfolio which is most important;” he further reiterated.
Source: Kasapafmonline.com/Kwame Malcolm
