Alexander Afenyo-Markin extended an unconditional apology to his wife over comments made in a previous press conference during Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s vetting before the Appointments Committee.
Afenyo-Markin acknowledged the impact of his statements, admitting that he felt bad about how Ablakwa’s wife had been affected.
“Let me unconditionally apologize to your wife for how my press conference came about. I mean, how she felt about it. I feel bad if somebody said something about my own wife, and it’s fair. These are not ego matters, so I’m sorry to your dear wife,” he said.
He also reassured Ablakwa of his respect for him, emphasizing that he had no intention of running him down.
“I would have utmost respect for you. I will be the last person to run you down. So, I’m sorry, and I’m sorry to your wife one more time. Is that okay?” Ablakwa, in response, accepted the apology, saying, “Very okay, and we are grateful. Thank you very much.”
The vetting also addressed concerns about government expenditure, particularly regarding ministerial travel. Afenyo-Markin questioned Ablakwa on whether he would commit to flying economy class in line with calls for financial prudence.
“Can you, without prejudice, assure the nation that, true to those values you hold, you will consistently fly economy and make it a policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to fly economy and nothing more?”
In response, Ablakwa stated that while he personally prefers business class for private travel, he would abide by any government policy requiring ministers to fly economy.
“If it is a policy of President Mahama’s government that ministers should now travel economy because of the state of the economy, I am happy to do that. And if I can top up with my own resources, as I have been doing already, I will.”
However, he stressed that cost-cutting should go beyond class selection, suggesting that reducing the size of delegations, limiting the frequency of travels, and choosing more cost-effective airlines would be even more impactful.
