Credible information reaching Ghanaians in UK and Ireland indicates that the NDC government has decided to close down the Embassy in the Republic of Ireland and revert it to a Consulate as it was before President Kufuor raised it to the status of an embassy.

No reason has been given for such a reversal.

We in NPP UK and Ireland are not necessarily against a policy of rationalization and cost cutting if there is any sincerity in that. However we are concerned about the plight of our Ghanaian folks in Ireland who may not have a voice and adequate representation when it comes to not just passport and consulate issues but also welfare matters.

The High Commission in UK has never been genuinely interested in Irish matters and has always left Consulate matters to the Consulate staff in Dublin, who are not Ghanaians, to manage. We do know that the Kernan family (Irish) who have profound affiliation with the (P) NDC and who have business interests in Ghana managed the Consulate. They controlled the Consulate until its elevation to an embassy status. The reason why we campaigned for an embassy in Ireland was because non-Ghanaians do not understand and know much about the 419 spearheaded by non-Ghanaian nationals. They had free access to Ghanaian passports so we wanted a situation where Ghanaians would be there to help in stopping this abuse but alas! We are back to square one. At the moment the reason why many non-Ghanaians are in possession of Ghana travel documents is because the Consulate did not appreciate the difference between Ghanaians and other Africans. Many crimes are being committed in the name of Ghanaians because these fraudsters are often caught with Ghanaian passports.

We in NPP UK and Ireland, stand by the Ghanaian people in The Republic of Ireland in their fight for voice and representation. We will continue to highlight your plight in such a careless decision by the government of the NDC in this matter.

Perhaps we need to remind President Mills of his own words when he addressed his newly appointed diplomats at the end of their induction course when he said they must not condone the violation of the immigration laws of our country, but be concerned about the plight of its compatriots in the countries of their accreditation, and to explore ways of collaborating with their host authorities to find ways of ameliorating their plight. He said their effectiveness as representatives of the nation will be measured by the extent to which your tenure leads to job creation, helps us invest in our people.

We therefore call on President Mills and the NDC government to understand the motive behind the elevation and how that could serve better the plight of Ghanaians in Ireland and help save the abuse of our immigration laws through the wanton issue of Ghanaian passports to foreigners. We appeal to him in the supreme interest of Ghana to maintain the elevation rather than the reversal. We do know that the NDC might want to reverse the decision of the NPP administration in many matters but they must never lose sight of the fact that the security of our nation and nationals abroad especially in the validity, respectability and acceptability of our passport were the main reason why Ghanaian ambassador and staff were required to be present in Dublin. The president must therefore be seen as using our foreign missions to support all Ghanaians abroad including our people in Ireland and we urge him to tear down those partisan walls.

Hayford Atta-Krufi On behalf of NPP UK and Ireland