Clap back

The leadership of Parliament have met at the instance of the Minister for National Security, Mr Albert Kan Dapaah, over what seems to be an open source report, issued by the Libyan government in September, in which they apparently called out their concerns of the alleged incidence of Ghanaians fighting on behalf of Daesh, also known as ISIS.

At the closed-door meeting, a strategy was reportedly discussed and agreed on by both sides of the leadership and the minister. Details have not been shared. Of course, National Security requires discretion and intelligence. Literally, this important meeting was, however, preceded by a noisy press conference held by the Minority, led by their Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, during which they demanded an urgent public response by our government to the disturbing claims by the Libyan government. Not discreet not intelligent.

And, the Minority was right. The prospect of young Ghanaians, I presume they are young, who are inclined, compelled or induced to travel to foreign lands to work/in search of greener pastures, is and has been, par for our course. The lack of education and opportunities and the lure of a better life, in the city, Accra, London, New York, Toronto ... I wouldn't recommend Vienna these days, their new government in waiting, is not migrant friendly.

Remittance

Officially, by 2001, Ghanaian-born persons living in the United Kingdom (UK) (our last colonial administrator) were 56,112. Per the UK census, 10 years later, our Diaspora numbers had doubled to 95,666.

These are the official numbers. You and I know, as does the Home Office and the British High Commission here and further, that we are playing games. Ghanaians abroad - including in the UK - live, work and remit $5 billion, - equivalent in 2015 to 13 per cent of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP), - to support their families and our economy. Not all our people out there have legal status. Migration is a serious matter of brain drain, opportunities and challenges, from personal stories, finances to national as well as global security.

In the UK alone, per open sources, “70 per cent of the population increase between the 2001 and 2011 censuses was due to foreign-born immigration.” Of course, not all of these migrants are Ghanaians. We have our troubles, as do peoples from other 'Developing World' countries such as Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, Bangladesh, China, India, Poland etc. 'Ghana Must Go', is not just a tacky but useful I am told made in China bag, for many of our youth, they are convinced they must leave. Human security is something we should all engage in thoughtfully.

Since 1993 when our Fourth Republic came into being, we have had some serious moments that should have caused us to say eeeisssh, however, for my money (not a lot), there is no legitimate reason for anyone from here, to claim political asylum, anywhere. Ghanaians who are prepared to do whatever it takes and more to leave our shores are economic migrants. The new phenomena, if this is verified, of extremist religious adventurism by Ghanaians is deeply troubling.

Reckless

This is why that press conference held by the Minority was deliberately, willfully, reckless and wrong. It has become an almost weekly lamentation before, without and in spite of the fact, for them to proceed to justify their inclusion.

Between January and April 2017, being the first sitting of the 7th Parliament of the 4th Republic, there were 37 sittings in the House. In the second session, between May and August 2017, there were 49 sittings. Odekro.org has previously published reports in 2015 and 2016, using the 'Votes and Proceedings' documents of Parliament to compile the attendance data of our publicly funded, housed and transported 275 'Honourables'. Odekro.org's new report, not publicly available as yet, will apparently provide details as to the Members of Paliament (MPs) most likely to absent themselves without permission from work that you and I pay them for.

I was a Parliamentary Correspondent at the beginning of my career as a journalist in 1993. I assure you, what you see, the drama, is manufactured and deliberate. In reality, both sides of the House work hand in glove, literally, when it suits them, to assure their salaries and perks as they do in committee meetings to analyse and pronounce or not on laws that you and I should keep a very close eye on.

The Minority should be congratulated on their abilities to research and highlight international developments that could impact, directly or otherwise, on our national security and interests. I will be very interested to know, when the Minority, led by the same Mr Ablakwa, will hold their press conference after the Odekro.org report is published. I will expect them to explain why their diligent members did not attend work enough and, therefore, could not have sought, as it is entirely possible to do, a quiet meeting on such a critical national issue. When it suits the Minority and the Majority, they have congregated in the recent past to sign off on yet another Jospong-related contract, now aborted, on a towing levy. Road safety is also a critical national issue.

Ivorian President, Alassane Ouattara, came to town, for two days. Just after the main cocoa season opened in Ghana (together Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire are the world's largest raw producers of a crop that produces billions of benefits for non-African refiners) and shortly after we rightsized our maritime borders on the small matter of oil. Were members of the Minority invited and were they present at the State Banquet held in his honour? Chop time, no friend. I am on a diet.