Former MPs join the GMO lobby in Parliament
Opponents of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the Plant Breeders Bill have begun lobbying former members of Parliament to bring pressure to bear on current members to kick against the bill.
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Although the advice of former MPs is not binding on the House, the various groups opposed to the bill are of the belief that being former members of the law-making body puts them in good stead to influence decisions in the House.
As part of the moves to seek the assistance of former MPs, a workshop on the harmful effects of GMOs and the implications of the passage of the Plant Breeders Bill was held in Parliament for them yesterday by the Free the Mind Movement (FMM), an organisation opposed to GMOs.
Addressing the former MPs, the Executive Director of the FMM, Mr Yaw Poku Dankwa, said GMOs took away the natural component of food and had no nutritional value.
He said studies had revealed that people who consumed GM foods developed resistance to antibiotics and added that investigations had also shown that they developed diseases over a period of time.
According to him, there was a conspiracy by some giant companies in the Western world, particularly the United States of America, to” feed the world with this kind of food for profit” without any regard for the health problems they would cause.
“Patronising GM foods will make us tools in their game for profit and influence and we must avoid being tools,” he said.
Mr Dankwa said the Plant Breeders Bill, if passed, would open the floodgates for multinational companies promoting GMOs to sell their seeds in Ghana and added that this must not be allowed to happen.
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He noted that although the multinationals had tried to suppress all information with regard to the harmful effects of GMOs, studies had established that allergies and vulnerability to diseases were prevalent among people who patronised such foods.
“Our last trump card is to provide our own food. Anyone who controls your food controls you totally. We do not have to wait for them to do that. We have to fight against this now,” he said.
A former MP for South Dayi, Mr Kosi Kedem, said the former MPs, having heard Mr Dankwa, were convinced about the harmful effects of GMOs and the implications of the passage of the Plant Breeders Bill.
However, he said it would be wrong to listen to only one side of the story and added that the views of some proponents would be sought to enable the former MPs to make a decision.
He noted that what he and his group would seek to do, after listening to both sides, would be to advise Parliament.
“ It is up to them to accept or reject our advice,” he added.
He noted that what he and his group would seek to do, after listening to both sides, is to advise Parliament.
“ It is up to them to accept or reject our advice,” he added.