Hannah Bissiw dodges Newsfile in protest against Ras Mubarak

Deputy Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Dr Bissiw         A Rawlings loyalist and an avowed critic of the Mills-government has claimed that the ruling National Democratic Congress has threatened to sanction him for his vitriol against the government. In furtherance of this, Ras Mubarak said the party attempted to prevent from appearing on Joy FM’s news analysis programme, Newsfile Saturday. Consequently, he claimed the Deputy Minister for Water Resources Works and Housing Dr Hannah Bissiw who was billed to appear on the programme refused to, in protest against his (Mubarak’s) appearance on the show. Dr Hanna Bissiw was invited by the station to participate in the discussion particularly because the postponement of a planned signing of the STX deal was one of the topics to be treated. As Deputy Minister of the Works and Housing, she was expected to give impetus to the discussion, but as the programme wore on, the minister, it became apparent, was not attending. Then, surprisingly, Ras Muburak disclosed that Dr Bissiw’s absence was in protest against his presence on the show. Delving into the substance of the topic, he expressed regret that the governing party was not living up to its promise of being a transparent and open government. In his opinion, the people of Ghana deserve to be told in plain language the reasons that necessitated the postponement of the signing ceremony to which journalists had been duly invited. Mr Mubarak accused the government of lacking coherence in its management of the country’s affairs and that the NDC was now beginning to behave like the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). The Executive Director of the Danquah Institute Gabby Asare Otchere Darko, who was also on the show, said the sudden stalling of the signing ceremony coupled with the government’s inability to give reasons for its actions smacked of gross incompetence. He speculated that STX Korea were unhappy about the arrangements for revenue inflows, the oil option having been taken out of the agreement. Initially oil revenues were slated to be used to pay $10 billion loan but civil society organization vehemently opposed it leading to an amendment of the agreement that took out that payment option. This, Gabby claims, is what STX Korea is unhappy about and that that was why the agreement could not be signed. He challenged the government to contradict him. The Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako who was also a panelist said he was embarrassed by the turn of events because he had supported the project right from day one. He also maintained that the issues that warranted to withholding of the signing of the deal must be disclosed. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana