The leader of Narrative Changers, a pressure group in the Upper East Region, Solomon Gbenga, has expressed concern about the lack of productivity among the region’s Members of Parliament. During an interview with Mark Smith on the Day Break Upper East Show on A1 Radio, Mr. Gbenga expressed his apprehension that instead of utilising their large social media followings to launch effective advocacy movements to stimulate the necessary development in their respective constituencies, the MPs had transformed their social media platforms into sports news hubs.
“They are supposed to use their social media handles for advocacy, but they are not doing it. Imagine that I am a Member of Parliament and I write [to ask for support]. NGOs and other organisations outside the country, as well as others from this region who are outside the region, want to support development. Because you are the leader of that particular constituency, they would come and help you. But what do they do? They keep updating us on football on their pages. Do you see anything serious going on [on their social media pages]? If you go to the pages of their colleagues, you will see that it is something different. Sometimes when I use Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa as an example, people misunderstand me. What Ablakwa is doing is not just him. Those things he does for his people, and sometimes there is excess for other constituencies, it is through the support of others.”
“Imagine this dialysis centre that we are demanding was supposed to be in Ablakwa’s constituency, and he writes on his wall that they need support, this would have been done,” he said.
On the issue of the establishment of a dialysis centre, Mr. Gbenga was convinced that if the MP in the Upper East Region had played a leading role, all the resources needed for the centre would have been acquired in excess.
“Even individuals who are outside the country and individuals who are not from here would want to support. But are they talking about those things? They are not talking about those things. What they are interested in is whose funeral do we go and greet with one crate of beer,” he said.
Background
The thoughtfulness of Members of Parliament from the Upper East Region was questioned. This followed the seeming silence and disinterest in well-meaning residents’ advocacy and fund-raising efforts to construct a dialysis centre at the Upper East Regional Hospital.
A social commentator and media practitioner, Stanley Abopam raised these concerns when he spoke with Mark Smith on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show today, Tuesday, April 18, 2023.
Mr. Abopam’s comments were in relation to the roles MPs are expected to play in the development of the Upper East Region.
“Ideally, they [MPs] are supposed to be advocates of development. Any other addons are certainly added advantages. So if the people of the Upper East Region are crying for a dialysis centre, I thought that one of them would have filed an urgent question in Parliament, especially now that the revelations we’re getting are very staggering; the number of people from the region who are dying from kidney related issues. Have you heard any of them [MPs] speak?”
“They are coming home to contest the primaries, how much they would spend, I do not know, but it would be colossal. There are 15 of them, and they all have a common fund. If all 15 decide, we are going to give Ghc10,000 each from our common fund, that is Ghc150,000,” he lamented.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
