Some residents including fishermen in the Shama Constituency in the Western Region are raging over what they call harsh economic conditions in the area and politicization of premix fuel allocation by the governing Nationa Democratic Congress (NDC) officials.
The fisher folks are also accusing the governing party of failing to ban light fishing in the country’s territorial waters by Chinese and have vowed to vote out President John Dramani Mahama and the Member of Parliament for the constituency, Gabriel Kwodwo Essilfie in the December 7 polls.
Expressing the sentiments of the fishermen, fishmongers and their dependents, Thomas Amissah Krah, a 30-year-old fisherman and father of two told Citi FM’s Samurais he has been fishing for the past 22 years and that he has never witnessed the industry in such a pitiable state.
Samurais are Citi FM’s pre-election monitory team on constituency watch in the Southern Sector of the country, looking at the issues that would decide the upcoming elections.
The other team, known as the Delta Squad covered the Northern part of the country.Thomas Amissah Krah told the Samurais, “There has been ‘kalabule’ in premix fuel allocation ever since NDC came to power. The premix is sold to NDC members who are not fishermen and such people sell the fuel at GH¢10.00 per gallon instead of the normal price of GH¢7.50. “It is sad that if you are not an NDC man you don’t get premix fuel for your outboard motor for fishing. Government should treat us fairly because we are all Ghanaians,”
Mr. Amissah Krah pleaded. He also lamented over other problems facing the fishing industry. “The industry was not like this when we started. Chinese have invaded our waters with light fishing and this has spoilt our business,”
Mr. Amissah Krah pointed out. He urged government to emulate the exemplary conduct of its neighbours to save the Ghanaian fishing industry. “I have been to Cote d’Ivoire on many occasions and I have seen that the Ivoirian government does not allow light fishing in that country because the government will arrest and lock you up if you attempt.
“Why can’t our government do the same to protect the indigenous people in the fishing industry? Mr. Amissah Krah quizzed. He explained that with the light fishing, the Chinese take away all the fish in the sea in including the smaller ones, which should have been left to grow. According to him, creditors are now chasing him because he has not been able to pay back monies he borrowed to do fishing.
“I now have sleepless nights thinking about how to pay back these loans. Government should help me pay this money by banning the Chinese from engaging in light fishing.
“I will vote based on my current living conditions. I know a certain government came and did not politicize the allocation of premix fuel and premix fuel flowed throughout Ghana. It is the current government that we have to change because it has let us down.
I have been a strong NDC member but I think this government has not kept faith with us,” Mr. Amissah Krah stated. He also claimed the MP is only seen when it is time for elections. “As we speak I don’t know where the MP is. He has not done anything to support us. We only see him when it is time for voting. It is time for us to change him and the President,” Mr. Amissah Krah maintained.Shama a swing seat?
The Shama constituency can best be described as a swing constituency. From 1992 to 2000, the NDC safely occupied the seat. But the New Patriotic Party (NPP’s) Angelina Baiden-Amissah was the MP for the area from 2001 to 2008.
The NDC’s Gabriel Essilfie took over from 2009. Internal party rifts within the NPP caused it to lose the seat to the NDC by about 804 votes in 2008. However, in 2012, the margin between the incumbent and the NPP candidate Joseph Garbrah was about 1,200. The incumbent however faces a new candidate from the NPP, Ato Panford, an Industrialist and a former Vice President of the Association of Ghana industries.
The NPP appears to have a united front but the same cannot be said about the governing NDC. NDC’s constituency organiser, Blansford Acheampong resigned to join the NPP after accusing the NDC MP and party officials in the region of wrongfully abrogating a contract awarded him by the District Assembly.
Mr. Essilfie won the seat in 2008 and 2012, making him a two-term Member of Parliament. In 2012, the Shama MP obtained 18,406 votes with his main challenger, Joseph Cantamando Garbrah of the NPP receiving 17, 145 votes. He will be facing a fresh candidate from NPP, Ato Panford, the industrialist and former Vice President of the AGI. With just 1,261 votes in the midst of stern accusations, political watchers say the MP is likely to lose the seat.