RE: ABU JINAPOR CALLS FOR A PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE IN THE DAMONGO CONSTITUENCY.

 By Issifu Seidu Kudus Gbeadese 

(Youth Imam from Laribanga)

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1. The Member of Parliament for the Damongo Constituency, Hon Abu Jinapor, has, just like his Flag Bearer, called for a Parliamentary debate in the Damongo Constituency. He made the call while undertaking his campaign activities in the constituency over the past week. 

2. Just like his Flag bearer, Dr. Mahmoud Bawumia did make a similar call for debate with President Mahama, Abu Jinapor is equally seeking a platform to restore his lost credibility and the goodwill the people of Damongo constituency handed him. So, in a bid to get that restored, he’s desparately seeking to play smart for such a play to play his usual rhetoric and theatrics in order to secure some already-made skewed headlines. 

3. Political debates in themselves are built to enrich the contours of democracy, since they effectively help to create some form of interface for citizens to participate and to get clarity to certain confusions and policy uncertainties. So, any form or nature political debates come, in principle, it is certainly a move to enrich our democracy, to ensure accountability, responsive leadership and to ultimately measure the level of sincerity  in our leaders. 

4. However, given the current circumstances, there is nothing to debate about. Indeed, what is there to debate is to account to the people of Damongo of his stewardship and not to his opponent. Hon Abu Jinapor owes the good people of Damongo an explanation to multiple issues, and that should be the beginning of accounting to the people.

5. To begin with, the people of Damongo are still expecting Hon Abu Jinapor to account for and to offer sincere reasons why after 4 years since the sod cutting ceremony for the Damongo Water project, nothing is done and nothing seems not to be done. Meanwhile, on the day of the sod-cutting ceremony, as part of his speech, Hon Abu Jinapor made the promise that the project will be completed in 18 months after July, 2020. Indeed, his slogan was, “promise made, promise fulfilled.” Where can we find the water project in Damongo? Or we should pray hard for the Broto mechanized borehole which they say is 10% complete,  to come and replace the $49m project they promised? 

6. Indeed, Hon Abu Jinapor owe us an explanation as to why he has never asked a question or make a statement on the Floor of Parliament on the Damongo water project and on any other challenges his constituency faces. In fact, he owes us an explanation as to why he hasn’t fulfilled a promise to drill the 10 mechanized boreholes in Damongo township. A whole Minister for Lands and Natural Resources yet, you cannot drill and mechanize boreholes for your people in the stead of the water project you refused to execute, at least as a way of saying "I am sorry for the deception."

7. Again, Hon Abu Jinapor owes the Busunuwura and the people of Busunu an explanation as to why the factory he and the President’s daughter promised the good people of Busunu, has not being realized. Also, at the instance of the Busunuwura, Hon Abu Jinapor promised that one of the pumping stations for rhe Damongo water project will be situated in Busunu to help distribute water to the communities around Busunu. Is there a reason we shouldn’t ask why the said distribution station hasn’t be established in Busunu yet? 

8. To add to this, since it’s construction, the so called Islamic Secondary School for my community, Laribanga, remains a painted building and not a school in operation. In the midst of this, what Hon Abu Jinapor thinks the people of Laribanga deserve is sharing of money and cooked food and not to put the so called Islamic Secondary School into operation. In addition to this, just about 1000m to Laribanga, Lawyer Abu Jinapor and his government, after assuming office, got part of the stretch of the Fufulso-Sawla road razed, with the pledge that it will be fixed. In fact, they brought a contractor with equipment to deceive the late Yagbonwura Tuntumba that they were in to rehabilitate that portion of the road. As we speak, that 100m razed portion and other portions of the road leading to Sawla have become death traps without any intention to fix them. Can he debate that? 

9. Hon Lawyer Abu Jinapor, in the middle of the campaign leading to election 2020, you amplified the promise of President Akuffo-Addo to the effect that Damongo will be getting a regional hospital as part of the Agenda 111 hospital projects. What is the state of this promise? You and your government also promised the people of Damongo of a Shea nut factory under the 1D1F. Will you be candid enough to show us where the factory is or why we haven’t seen anything yet? 

10. With all due respect to my MP, he is the Minister for Lands and Natural resources. By convention and standard practice, one of the primary responsibility is to ensure that our environment is protected. I want to remind him that just behind his house in Damongo, there is commercial charcoal burning going on. In fact, most of the trucks that come from the South to load the charcoal mostly find space to park at the junction leading to his house. Also, while you spend millions of our taxes in a so called tree planting, you are complicit in the ongoing destruction of our environment through indiscriminate logging, because you watch on while the logging goes on because of votes. Find sometime to debate that, sir.

11. Hon MP for Damongo, can you show us a single person, at least, from your party who you secured a scholarship for to study and upgrade him or herself? At a time, the scholarship secretariat was under your direct supervision as a Deputy Chief of Staff. Is it the case of a calculated sabotage to those who otherwise would be interested to further their education? Or should I believe the narrative from your own people that you have this extreme phobia for those in pursuit of higher learning? These are the real issues and not your usual games you play with our emotions. 

12. ⁠You promised to construct the following roads: a) from Canteen-Frafraline to Sor. No. 3; b) from Mognori to Murugu; c) from Yipala to Broto. Please sir, what happened to that promise? Or you were waiting for this last minute so called DRIP project meant to hoodwink the people into voting for you once more? 

13. ⁠Hon Abu Jinapor, when you are done answering the above questions, and done with the explanations and clarity to the lingering issues on your head including why the people of Damongo constituency are also suffering from ther high cost of living when you promised that you would write the name of Damongo with gold, then, you would secure the moral right to call for a debate. 

We cannot allow you stain our white shirt with your dirt. Go and debate the people about the whereabouts of the $49m meant for the Damongo water project. When you are done with all that, you have a relatively huge responsibility to undo the reality turned into a tag on your neck that you are ARROGANT. 

Please sir, is it really true that you don't listen to good counsel from anybody and that it is the reason you have sent all those reasonable people who could otherwise give you good counsel into political exile while keeping those you can order around in close proximity? 

Shalom!