The National Tenants Union of Ghana has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to call Mavis Hawa Koomson, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture to order, following her controversial comments on the high cost of rent in Ghana.
The minister referenced high rent costs in Canada to buttress a point that even though rent is expensive in Ghana, it is a general trend across the world.
She spoke on February 21, 2024, during a live interview on Onua TV.
Responding to the Minister’s comment in a press statement dated February 22, 2024, the union described such remarks as distasteful and unworthy of someone of her caliber.
The union emphasized that the minister’s statement was reckless and not in line with the responsibilities of a Member of Parliament.
“The Union is dismayed about such a reckless statement coming from an Honorable Member of Parliament, and therefore, request her to render an unqualified apology to the good people of Ghana.
“It’s a basic knowledge and experience that high cost of rental accommodation is deepening poverty, and increasing slums in Ghana, which poses tremendous challenges for achieving adequate shelter for all.
“We would like to also call on His Excellency, the President of the Republic to call her to order, as her statement brings the office she occupies to public ridicule and disrepute which is undeserving of a Minister of State.
“As the people’s representative knowing that the cost of rent and the disparity in incomes is a matter of National concern should rather make a statement to comfort the people, but not to make mockery and vilify them.
“We hope that the Hon. Minister will come out boldly to ask for forgiveness from her constituents and the general public for such unwarranted statement,” part of the press statement said.
Meanwhile, Mavis Hawa Koomson in a statement sighted by GhanaWeb has clarified the controversial comment.
She said that she never meant to belittle the hardship in the country but was only trying to make the point that every economy in the world is suffering from the effects of the global catastrophes seen over the past few years including the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to Hawa Koomson, her comments were being misconstrued for political benefits.
“Contrary to the sensationalized reports, my intention was not to be insensitive to the valid concerns raised by citizens regarding the high cost of living.
“During the interview, I referred to Canada to illustrate that the challenges we face are part of a broader global trend. For instance, in Canada, some individuals in this post-COVID era reportedly pay over 2000 Canadian dollars for a single room self-contained, a situation I recently learned,” the minister wrote.
She added, “I want to be unequivocal in stating that my aim was not to undermine the hardships faced by our people but to emphasize the universality of the issue. It is therefore disheartening to witness these statements being twisted and spun for political gains”.
