The Majority in Parliament has dismissed claims by the Minority that a Lebanese national has been abducted in the country.
This was contained in a statement signed by a Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, John Ntim Fordjour, for and on behalf the Majority Caucus.
The Lebanese, Mahran Mustapha Baajour, is alleged to have been abducted at the airport by some operatives of National Security.
The minority believes the situation could spark diplomatic row between Ghana and Lebanon.
On Sunday, the Minority in Parliament, in a press release signed by the Ranking Member on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, tasked the Akufo-Addo-led government to act in an accountable manner as is expected of democratic states by breaking its unhelpful silence over the abduction and disappearance of Mahran Mustapha Baajour.
“The Minority is reliably informed that immediately after arriving at the Kotoka International Airport on December 13, 2018, Mahran Mustapha Baajour and his two Ghanaian hosts who welcomed him at the airport were arrested at the precincts of the airport just when they were about departing in their Toyota salon vehicle with registration number GN 6126 - 15 by persons claiming to be operatives of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).
“After all three were kept in detention for six days in violation of Ghanaian law, our understanding is that Mahran's two hosts, one Razak Abdul and another were then released as free men while Mahran was kept in detention. This is the reason Mahran's family and officials from his country are having a hard time believing denials and claims of innocence by Ghanaian Government officials they have contacted,” the Minority alleged.
Barely twenty-four hours after the Minority's press statement, the Majority in Parliament fired a quick rebuttal on Monday describing the former's assertions as "false, unfounded and holding no truth".
"credible checks conducted at the National Security and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration affirm beyond a doubt that no such person had arrived at the Kotoka International Airport, contrary to the palpably false accounts given by the Ranking Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs..."
"Ghana is acclaimed in the international community as a country where human rights and the rule of law are creditably upheld and thus, any contemptible attempt by the Ranking Member and the Minority, to falsely portray ur country otherwise, in pursuit of parochial and partisan interests should and must be condemned in no uncertain terms," the Majority shot back.
Below Is A Copy Of The Statement.
MAJORITY PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE PALPABLY FALSE CLAIMS OF ABDUCTION OF LEBANESE NATIONAL MISCHIEVOUSLY MADE BY THE MINORITY
The attention of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament has been drawn to a press statement released by the Minority making rather outrageous allegations of abduction of one Mahran Mustapha Baajour purported to be a Lebanese businessman of Palestinian origin at Kotoka International Airport, Accra, on December 13, 2018.
We wish to emphatically state that credible checks conducted at the National Security and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration affirm beyond a doubt that no such person had arrived at the Kotoka International Airport, contrary to the palpably false accounts given by the Ranking Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
It is abundantly clear that the claims of the Minority are false, unfounded and holding no truth. More so, failure on the part of the Ranking Member and the Minority to verify the facts with the relevant agencies prior to release of the statement, smacks of deliberate attempt to cause disaffection for the image and reputation of Ghana as they have often sought to do.
We therefore strongly condemn the rather mischievous and most unpatriotic falsehood fabricated by the Minority and accordingly urge the general public to disregard and treat with the contempt it deserves, the obnoxious attempt by the Ranking Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Minority, to smear the highly reputed image of our beloved country Ghana in the comity of nations.
Ghana is acclaimed in the international community as a country where human rights and the rule of law are creditably upheld and thus, any contemptible attempt by the Ranking Member and the Minority, to falsely portray ur country otherwise, in pursuit of parochial and partisan interests should and must be condemned in no uncertain terms.
It is our understanding that the National Security shall accordingly issue a response in due course.
Signed
John Ntim Fordjour, MP
Member, Committee on Foreign Affairs
For and on behalf the Majority Caucus
Source: Isaac kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]
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MY QUESTION IS THAT,WHY GHANAIANS PAMPER THESE FOREIGNERS WHO ARE NOT READY TO GIVE CHANCE TO BLACK PEOPLE IN THEIR COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN- BUT WE ACCEPT THEM TO do WHATEVER THEY WANT IN GHANA;I DON,t KNOW IF IT IS BECAUSE OF THEIR FAKE COLOUR.I THANK GOD THAT I,VE COME TO KNOW THEM ALL;GOD BLESS KENNEDY AGYAPONG THAT HE IS BOLD TO VOICE OUT THAT WE GHANAIANS ARE NATURALLY BORN BAD,salute
So if a member or group of members misinform Parliament or the general public should it be ignored? Is it not one of the issues that the privileges committee should go into? This Parliament i don't understand why they allow these minority with 'little minds' have their own awat anytime they ***barred word***-l. Some of the majority members are only there to feed themselves. An avenue to get monthly fat salary with all the incentives attached. Allowing the minority to set the tone for discussion in the media space. Very s-h-a-m-e-f-u-l indeed. How can Okudzeto make such a claim which bothers on diplomacy and security but cannot be substantiated and he just received a letter of denial. Whaaaat. No Whip in Parliament?
NDC through its members are practicing what their Chairman, Ofosu Ampofo said in the tape...their aim is to create tension in Ghana so that the government of the day will become unpopular. but i am surprised Okudzeto Ablakwa has also fallen for this..i thought he was rather becoming a fine politician until recently when he started spraying falsehood all over. someone close to him should pls advise him. he is now becoming like a serial caller
At first, I thought Fiifi Kweitey was the chief liar in the country but now it is official Okudzato Ablakwa's lies have become monumental and I blame the media for this. You have been giving him space to propagate these lies and any time the truth comes out, he fails to apologize. My heart bleeds for the country for the evil done to it by its own people. SHAME DISHonourable Okudzato Ablakwa.
Okudzato Ablakwa is not a patriotic Ghanaian. He uses his position as a Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs to always MOTHER GHANA black. All claims he has made have been found to be false. This is a person who is not working in the interest of Ghana. Judging from the number of false allegations this particular person has made I think Parliament should be able to sanction him. The untruths coming from him are too many. HIS NAME DEPICTS HIS CHARACTER
These NDC MPs know no shame. All too soon they have forgotten how the arrested South African nationals in a rambo style and detaining them in 2016 without following the law with the claim that they were terrorists who have been brought into the country to train NPP thugs. Even with that, the NPP did not complain in parliament to create the impression that there was insecurity in the country. In fact we have some kind of people in NDC oo. Ooooh daabi daabi. We all know that opposition parties are there to keep the ruling party on its feet but as for this one it is increasingly becoming clear that the NDC is deliberately putting spokes in the wheels of the ruling party to cause them to fail just to come to power.
WHAT AT ALL DO THESE NDC'S WANT? THEY ALWAYS TRYING TO MAKE THE COUNTRY INSECURE. AFTER LOOSING GOVERNANCE JUST BECAUSE OF INCOMPETENCE, MISMANAGEMENT, CORRUPTION AND ARROGANCE YOU GUYS HAVE TURNED TO DOOMSAYERS. GOD IS WATCHING.YOU CAN F00L SOME PEOPLE SOMETIMES....BUT YOU CANT F00L ALL THE PEOPLE...ALL THE TIME!