The North Tongu member of parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has made it clear that he has no personal grudges against Bryan Acheampong, the minister of agriculture and proprietor of the Rock City Hotel. The contentious selling procedure of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust’s (SSNIT) 60% stake in four hotels to Rock City Hotel was the focus of Ablakwa’s most recent objection.
Ablakwa strongly objected to the sale process, and as a result, organised labour threatened to go on strike. Due to this pressure, SSNIT cancelled the sale and Rock City Hotel withdrew its bid, which forced organised labour to postpone the planned strike.
Ablakwa highlighted his long-standing opposition to state capture in an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Face to Face on Channel One TV, which Puretvonline.com was watching. He maintained that the selling of public assets to private parties frequently serves the interests of a small number of people rather than the nation.
Ablakwa denied rumours that he had a personal grudge against Acheampong, emphasising that his opposition to the privatisation of public assets is founded on principle and a longstanding history.
Why would someone limit this to simply Hon. Bryan Acheampong? Personal animosity is not at issue. Ablakwa declared, “I have always opposed the sale of state assets and state capture.”
He questioned why state assets are only considered valuable after they are privatised and attacked the practice of public officials depleting state assets in order to later buy them.
“Why can’t Hon. Bryan Acheampong apply his skills as a hotelier while serving in government, given his exceptional abilities?” Why should it wait until he owns the majority of the shares? Ablakwa asked.