Floods: Freda Prempeh's comment is “callous and unsympathetic” - NDC
The Volta Regional branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has described the comment made by the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources that residents in the Lower Volta area failed to move when they were asked to do so before the spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong dams as “callous and unsympathetic”.
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Condemning the comment of the minister, Ms Freda Prempeh, the NDC in a press statement said such comments only exacerbate the pain and suffering of the affected individuals and communities.
The minister at a forum organised by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) in Accra on Monday, Oct 23, had accused residents in the Lower Volta area of failing to move to higher ground as advised.
However, in a press statement issued on Wednesday, (Oct 25), the NDC in the Volta Region called on Ms Prempeh to retract her comments and apologise.
“We thought as a mother, the Sanitation Minister would take advantage of the platform provided by the October 23rd Ghana Water Company Limited event to somehow appease the residents of the hardest-hit communities at the back of the President’s unfortunate utterances on the situation when he paid a reluctant visit."
Attached below is a copy of the statement from the Volta Regional NDC
VOLTA NDC CONDEMNS FREDA PREMPEH’S INSENSITIVE COMMENTS ON THE LOWER VOLTA FLOOD SITUATION
The NDC in the Volta Region stands in staunch opposition and joins the many reasonable voices to strongly condemn the appalling comments made by the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Madam Freda Prempeh, which purport to blame the victims of the recent man-made flood disaster for their dire circumstances. We mince no words in outrightly reprehending such a callous and unsympathetic stance, which only serves to exacerbate the pain and suffering of the affected individuals and communities.
We thought as a mother, the Sanitation Minister would take advantage of the platform provided by the October 23rd Ghana Water Company Limited event to somehow appease the residents of the hardest-hit communities at the back of the President’s unfortunate utterances on the situation when he paid a reluctant visit. However, typical of Nana Addo’s appointees, she heartlessly chose to emulate her appointor.
In the wake of this catastrophic flood disaster that has left countless families displaced and in distress, we expect all well-meaning individuals to deem it a time for sobriety, unity, empathy, and deliberate constructive rescue actions. Instead, the Minister has chosen to unfairly point fingers at those who are already enduring immense hardship. This certainly is not the sort of leadership our nation needs during such an avoidable crisis.
The victims of this flood disaster, who are also Ghanaians, deserve our support, assistance, and compassion, not accusation or condemnation or blame. The government of the day should be seen to be working diligently at providing relief, assistance, and resources to help these communities recover from the devastation that they have endured thus far.
We call upon Madam Freda Prempeh to retract her insensitive comments and issue a formal apology to the flood victims and their families. It is imperative that our government officials exhibit the highest levels of empathy and responsibility in such times of crisis.
We also want to inform the NPP Government that Volta NDC would hold them to the fire of accountability by making sure that they fully compensate all the flood victims who, by no fault of theirs, are enduring the devastating consequences of the recent unplanned spillages so other Ghanaians can have a reliable supply of electricity while saving the Akosombo and Kpong hydroelectricity installations.