Major (Rtd) Derrick Oduro, the Deputy Minister of Defence has blamed the recent killing of Members of Parliament on Ghanaians.
He said the general Ghanaian populace is to blame to such acts because they frown on any suggestion that lawmakers should be provided with state security.
Reacting to the murder of colleague Hon. Ekow Quansah Hayford in an interview with Kumasi- based Nhyira FM, Major Oduro said the security of Parliamentarians should be taken seriously.
He claims MPs are not protected because Ghanaians on several occasions have protested bitterly against most successive governments in an attempt to offer protection to them.
“This is not the first time a Parliamentarian has been attacked and shot dead. It happens all the time in all successive governments. But anytime we raise concerns that the three arms of government need protections as prescribed by the constitution, Ghanaians get angry in regards to the request.”
“They say, why should we offer protection to MPs including the media. You lead the cause and chastise us as if Members of Parliament are aliens as if they are from a far country,” he argued.
He lamented that even when MPs plan to get their own loans to buy cars for themselves though it is the responsibility of government to provide, just as the DCEs and other government appointees, Ghanaians will criticise them again.
“They tell us we are in hurry to pass such a loan because it for us. Meanwhile, we will pay the loan ourselves”, he told Nana Kwadwo Jantuah the host of the programme “Kro Yi Mu Nsem”.
According to him, the death of the MP is a wake-up call to all citizens who think about the nation to know that, MPs like any other person has haters hence, just as any other officeholder is offered protection, MPs must also be given same.
Mr. Ekow Quansah Hayford together with his driver, Issah, were shot this early morning by some armed robbers who had blocked the road linking Abeadze Dominase and were robbing commuters of their belongings.
–
Pulse Ghana
