The Germany Branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) expresses its deep sympathy and condolences to the families and friends who lost their loved ones in the Melcon disaster last Wednesday. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult and trying moment and we trust that the Almighty God (Allah) will give them the inner strength to go through it.
It is also out prayer that our compatriots whose lives have been cut short through this otherwise avoidable tragedy find peace and solace in the hands of the Lord.
NPP- Germany would take this opportunity to thank the various security agencies particularly the Ghana Police Service, the Fire Service, National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), the various Voluntary Organizations and the Ghanaian people for their efforts and strong show of solidarity at such critical moments.
We wish to point out, however, that this disaster has revealed very serious systemic failures and institutional defects especially in the building industry and the various bodies charged with the responsibility of responding to and managing such disaster as and when they occur.
First and foremost the response of the Ghana Fire Service was appallingly very slow. It took personnel of the Ghana Fire Service more than half an hour to arrive at the scene after the incident was first reported. Worst of all, upon arrival at the scene the officers did not have the basic equipment to enable them undertake the necessary rescue operation. As a result these officers have had to rely on Radio Stations to relay their appeals for equipment to the general public. Clearly, this shows how ill-prepared we are as a nation for such disasters which to say the least is an indictment of the leadership of our country.
Even more worrying is the admission by the Mayor of Accra, Nii Lamptey Vanderpujee that the building was constructed without the necessary authorization (permit). As far as we are aware every Metropolitan, City, Municipal, District Assembly has a Building Inspectorate Division charged with the responsibility of ensuring the enforcement of and compliance with building regulations in its jurisdiction. As concerned Ghanaians we find it unacceptable that such a grand edifice could be constructed in the center of Accra without any body exercising due diligence to ensure that all the statutory requirements were met/fulfilled. We also find it difficult to believe that Melcon could be given an Operating License to conduct business in a facility that did not meet the basic requirements as stipulated by the building regulations.
We are convinced that there has been a series of regulatory failures as well as negligence on the part of some individual person or group of persons who should be held jointly and severally liable for this act of criminal negligence. This, we believe, would send a strong message to all public officials that they would be held accountable for their actions as well as inactions because the loss of a single Ghanaian life is one too many.
Signed
Kwaku Anane-Gyinde
Director of Communication
NPP-Germany
Tel. 00 49 152 13481859
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