AMA Boss Is Making My Job Extremely Difficult...We'll Sit Him Down And Pump Some Sense Into His Ears - Yaw Boateng Gyan

National Organizer of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Yaw Boateng Gyan     Related Stories     National Organizer of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Yaw Boateng Gyan is clearly an unhappy man. His unhappiness stems from the various acts of omission and commission on the part of the Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Mr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, which he claims is complicating his (Gyan's) work as a National Organiser. An exasperated Yaw Boateng Gyan believes that if not called to order, the conduct of AMA boss together with some members at the Assembly could wreck the “Better Ghana Agenda” of the Mills’ administration. He was commenting on the raw deal meted out to a 35-year old shoe dealer who was brutalized by the AMA taskforce Team on Tuesday night to the extent of nearly having one of ears ripped off. The victim was protesting over his seized goods by the taskforce team, which was subsequently burnt by the AMA. The AMA task force team had accused him of flouting the AMA bye-law that prohibits selling on the pavements of the capital, an accusation which he denied. Mr Oko Vanderpuije has come under a barrage of criticisms for some activities he has been engaged in lately. From his planned wish to relocate all commercial activities at Old Fadama (Agbogbloshie) to Amasaman to pave way for the decongestion of Sodom and Gomorrah slum in Accra, and his avowed desire to rid the streets of hawkers and traders along the streets of the Central Business District of Accra, the AMA Boss has been met with resistance from human rights groups, politicians and civil society alike. A couple of weeks ago, the Accra Mayor and the head of the Motor Traffic and Transport unit of the Ghana Police Service were at each other’s throats over the mayor’s new found passion of directing traffic. Mr Alfred Vanderpuye was said to be directing traffic at the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange causing the MTTU boss ACP Angwutubuge Awuni to pan the Mayor's action, describing it as a means of “courting cheap publicity”.   Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Mr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije Speaking on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo Morning show, the usually soft-spoken NDC National Executive member exhibited rare flashes of anger at the conduct of the Mayor of Accra, stressing that the NDC was tired of cleaning up the mess being created daily by Mr. Alfred Vanderpuije and his team. “I am not happy at all with what Alfred Vanderpuije is doing; he is making my job as the national organizer very difficult. If he is listening to me, he should pay attention because people have come from the Circle areas to the party office to complain and report the conduct of his boys and he is sometimes reported to have gone there himself to supervise in the evenings. We are in a democratic rule so before you plan any decongestion exercise; you have to provide an alternative place for the displaced victims…we promised the electorates “Better Ghana Agenda” but this is certainly not the way to go about it,” he lamented. Whiles warning that should the AMA continue with its dehumanizing activities, it could play into the hands of the opposition NPP, the NDC National Organiser said the ruling party will sit the AMA Boss down and pump some sense into his ears. But should he fail to heed to our calls, i would prefer he steps down, he said. “…if you look at the picture (of the victim), it is despicable and I wouldn’t have taken it slightly if this trader were to be my brother…We have to have a serious discussion with Vanderpuije, sit him down…and talk some sense into his head…else when we embark on electioneering campaign, we will force him along with us…so that when the people complain about him, we will simply hand him over to them to do to him whatever they wish...This will ease our job,” an enraged Yaw Boateng Gyan said.

Source: Beatrice Adepa Frempong/Peacefmonline.com