Tempers went high between the Majority and Minority sides of the house on Friday when the Majority addressed the press on the tidal waves disaster in the Volta Region last Sunday.
The Majority caucus at the press briefing blamed the activities of sand winning by the people in the affected areas as aiding the havoc visited on the people by the tidal waves.
They contend that, while government may be taking steps to address the situation through the sea defence wall construction, the people who are beneficiaries must also act responsibly and desist from activities, like sand winning that makes it easy for the sea to reach people’s homes.
The Deputy Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu in the Central Region, Alexander Afenyo-Markin who addressed the press blamed the tidal waves destruction on sand winning, and rise in sea level and climate change.
The Deputy Majority Leader advised his colleague MPs in the Volta Region, particularly those from the affected areas to take interest in the sand winning activities, speak against it, and help halt it entirely.
He wondered why the MPs failed to touch on that issue in their earlier press briefing, and asked if they fear speaking against it would cause them politically.
However, the press briefing that was going on smoothly suddenly turned chaotic when some Minority MPs challenged the picture that the Majority was brandishing around as prove of sand winning in the Keta area.
Mr. Nelson Dafeamekpor, MP for South Dayi, and Mr. Armah Kofi Buah challenged the Majority to stop deceiving the public because the picture was nowhere near the scene of the Volta Coastal line.
The heated moment witnessed some exchange of unprintable words from the MPs, but somehow the situation was successfully brought under control
Mr Dafeamekpor contended that sand winning does not cause tidal waves to pound coast lines; rather the phenomenon is as a result of rise in the sea level. “And he has come here to bring a picture that clearly is not reflective of the coastline of Keta, or Aflao, or Anloga, or Woe, where I come from; our coastlines have no forests, our coastlines from Aflao to Anyanui through Anloga is full if pristine sand and has nothing like the forested beach-line he has introduced to you as being representative in terms of photography of the coastline of Keta”.
He said he is not trying to underrate the relevance of denigrating our coastlines as a result of sand winning, “but to say that the lives of the over four thousand people were caused or destroyed by tidal waves as a result of sand winning is with all due respect to him unacceptable”.
He condemned the lukewarm attitude of the government towards the problem happening in Ketu South, Keta, and Anlo as unfortunate, adding that the response of the government to the plight of the people in affected areas is appalling, compared to other areas in the country in which the government responded with alacrity to support the people.
Ghanamps.com
