Border closure: Why are you acting ignorant? - Dzifa Gomashie asks govt

Member of Parliament for the Ketu South constituency, Dzifa Gomashie has expressed her disappoint at government’s response to their demonstration for the reopening of land borders.

She expressed her surprise at the government acting ignorant of the closure of land borders for more than a year and half, while residents of border towns suffered.

To her, the response of the President’s Special Advisor on Health, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare to the demonstration can only be described as a political response from a man under pressure.

Residents of Ketu South in the Volta Region and Elubo in the Western Region have protested to demand the reopening of land borders.

Like in Aflao, residents of Elubo have complained that the continuous closure of the land borders is negatively affecting their livelihoods.

Dr. Nsiah Asare reacting to these protests, says government is considering ways of containing the COVID-19 pandemic before reopening land borders.

He says a majority of the populace would have to be vaccinated before land borders can be reopened.

Dzifa Gomashie who is displeased by Dr. Nsiah Asare’s response stated, “I have read the report on the presidential advisor on health and I am saddened by this. If we had not demonstrated, would Nsiah Asare not have known borders have been closed for a year and half?

"If we give political answers in such matters, it looks like we know nothing and that is bad. Are you now telling us that? When are the vaccines coming. It is pitiful and unacceptable for them to react after we demonstrated.”

According to her, Ghana is suffering a leadership deficiency and argues from Dr. Nsiah Asare’s excuse, the most reasonable thing to have been done was for the vaccination exercise to have started in border towns. She adds, a responsible government would have found an alternative source of livelihood for residents of border towns but, this one has left them to suffer.

“The people in the Volta Region are hungry. One and a half years of the border being closed with residents suffering. This is wrong and unacceptable. As a gov’t you knew the global situation and if you decide to take any measures, you should critically assess the pros and cons before doing so.”

With businesses collapsed and some collapsing, the Ketu South MP insists all alternate source of livelihood should be provided for residents along border towns if government is not ready to open them up for business just yet.