Minority MPs demand resignation of deputy tourism minister

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has demanded the immediate resignation of the Deputy Tourism Minister, Kobby Acheampong, over comments they consider as ethnocentric and an affront to the dignity of Ashantis and people living in cocoa growing communities.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday October 20, the aggrieved MPs from cocoa growing areas, notably Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Western Regions led by Hon. Kwame Osei Prempeh, MP for Nsuta Kwamang- Beposo and former Deputy Attorney General, issued a three day ultimatum to Mr. Acheampong to explain himself for insinuating that people from those areas are uncultured and unsophisticated.

“What we heard is not palatable to us at all. Complete insults not only to the person you are attacking but to all of us who have lived in villages and worked in these cocoa farms to help our country. We want Kobby Acheampong to come out and tell us how ‘cocoase korasini’ behaves and where he comes from, what school he attended, and I want to tell him that without cocoa money he would not have gotten his education.

We sacrificed and followed our parents to the bushes, worked on cocoa farms, we gave you money to develop the country, you become a Minister and our reward is insult. What sort of nonsense is that? We are not very happy about it because you cannot insult a greater number of the population, most of who come from villages in cocoa growing areas. The Lady Journalist who was interviewing him, persistently asked him what he meant by those remarks but he couldn’t say anything,” he said.

“We will in this light, also want to call on President Mills to bring this man to book. We will call on the NDC hierarchy to also make him explain his action. Even an apology is not adequate so we will demand his resignation to satisfy the wounds that he has inflicted on us.

We are not joking with it and we are giving him three days to explain other than that he will see ‘cocoase nkruasefo’ in his office. We will make the place uncomfortable for him to continue to live there. How many of us haven’t benefited from CMB scholarships? How many haven’t seen cocoa roads?” he asked angrily.