Kyei-Mensah Bonsu in response to an attack by irate Suame Magazine artisans: “I am not worried.”

Listen to this article

Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, a member of parliament representing Suame, said he is unconcerned by the behavior of irate craftsmen and parts dealers who attacked him and his entourage at Suame Magazine by throwing sachet water and other objects.

A quick police response prevented the MP, who also serves as majority leader and minister of parliamentary affairs, from being attacked by irate workers at the Suame Magazine industrial complex over the government’s alleged failure to fix the dangerous Suame Roundabout-Maakro section of the main Kumasi-Techiman Road, which they claim is endangering lives as well as hindering business.

However, Mr. Kyei-Mensah Bonsu stated in a media interview just before being led into a police car that he is not concerned about the behavior of his constituents.

I am the face of government, so if they are really unhappy that the surface has been scraping for a while and the dust is killing them, they would undoubtedly express their rage on any government official when they see them, so I am not concerned.

What first seemed to be a reactive trip by the member of parliament to Suame to hear his voters’ complaints about the poor roads took a hostile turn on Monday.

Surprised by hostile craftsmen who shouted war songs and threw sachet water and other objects at the officials, Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu and his entourage, which included Municipal Chief Executive for Suame Maxwell Ofosu Boakye, were received by the officials.

Later, the Suame Divisional Police Command officers needed assistance from the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, COP Afful Boakye-Yiadom, to calm the furious craftsmen who had followed the MP and his entourage to the meeting location.

Mr. Kyei-Mensah Bonsu remained in the conference room where a meeting with representatives of craftsmen, spare part dealers, and GUTA executives was arranged because he was astonished by the action.

Later, as they chanted additional battle songs, the artisans gathered once more.

They claimed that despite a piece of the Suame Roundabout-Afrancho stretch having been scraped by Joshob Construction, contractors working on the rehabilitation works, the government was unsympathetic to their predicament.

We bombarded him with a lot of sachet water. We threw a lot of water at him, too,”SAKwasi Bona

The Majority Leader, who has served the Suame constituency as its representative since 1996, informed the media that he comprehends the issues and actions of the irate craftsmen.

Here at Suame Magazine, there was a significant protest last week. The main route, which runs from Suame Roundabout through Maakro to Afrancho, needed to be renovated and rebuilt.

The Minister of Roads and Highways issued a contract to a contractor to renovate and really reconstruct the road because it had multiple potholes and was contributing to certain accidents.

In order to allay the worries of the agitated artisans, he informed the contractor that work would continue following a severe bitumen shortage.

The MP was driven to safety in a police car while being closely guarded by the police and pursued by the mob.