THE First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Bernard Ahiafor, has advised legislators to exercise diplomacy in their remarks regarding the recent killing of eight Ghanaians in Burkina Faso.
He further urged Members of Parliament (MPs) to refrain from making partisan comments about the tragic incident.
Mr Ahiafor's advice followed a heated debate between the Majority and Minority caucuses in Parliament on Thursday after a Minority member delivered a statement on the killings in Burkina Faso.
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The statement outlined various demands from the government, including the establishment of a fact-finding committee to investigate the incident.
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During the debate, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Assin South, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, criticised the government for allegedly failing to issue a travel advisory to Ghanaians on the security situation in Burkina Faso prior to the attack that claimed the lives of the eight citizens.
The NPP MP for Damongo, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, also attributed the tragic incident to what he described as the government's alleged glorification of Ibrahim Traoré.
In a sharp response, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Edina Eguafo Abrem, Mr Samuel Atta Mills, argued that the erstwhile NPP government had failed to utilise $12 million allocated for the construction of the Pwalugu Dam. The claim was rejected by the Minority Leader, Mr Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, who demanded evidence to support the allegation.
According to Mr Atta Mills, the Pwalugu Dam Project was intended to support irrigation for tomato cultivation, which would have reduced traders' dependence on tomatoes from Burkina Faso.
The Chairman of the Defence and Interior Committee, Mr James Agalga, also responded to Mr Jinapor's allegation, stating that tensions between Ghana and Burkina Faso predated the current NDC administration and pointed to developments under the previous NPP government.
"The day the previous government accused Burkina Faso of [engaging] the Wagner Group to help it fight terrorism was the day Burkina Faso withdrew from the Accra Initiative. That was when Burkina Faso refused to collaborate with Ghana in terms of intelligence sharing to deal with terrorism," Mr Agalga said.
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"When President Mahama came into office, he decided that there was a need for us to have a relationship with the Burkinabe, and that is why he appointed a special envoy to continue to liaise with the three Sahel countries in our quest to combat terrorism," Mr Agalga added.
In an effort to prevent further partisan exchanges, Mr Ahiafor reiterated that while holding the government accountable was important, partisan commentary in the face of a national tragedy undermined collective efforts to protect citizens.
He therefore called for a united front in addressing security challenges and safeguarding the lives of citizens. MPs also expressed their condolences to the bereaved families of the Ghanaians who lost.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON TETTEY
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