THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Asokwa in Kumasi, Maxwel Kofi Jumah, has expressed confidence in Mr Samuel Sarpong, Mayor of the Kumasi Metropolis as the person who can turn round the Garden City for the better. "I have more confidence in Sarpong's ability to deliver effectively than I did have in Mrs Patricia "Appiagyei, the former Kumasi Mayor," he said. The reason, he said, was that "Mr Sarpong is comparatively, down to earth, approachable and knows more about the problems of the metropolis since he is the type who associates himself with people of all class. "It is rather unfortunate that he is a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and not the New Patriotic Party (NPP)," he said, laughing. Mr Jumah was speaking to the Times on Monday at the Central Market, when the Ashanti Regional Parliamentary Caucus visited the market to examine the extent of damage caused by last Thursday's fire outbreak. Also present were the Ashanti Regional Minister, Kofi Opoku Manu, Chief Executive of KMA, Mr Samuel Sarpong and the immediate past Regional Minister, Emmanuel Owusu Ansah. More than 300 stalls at the Kumasi Central market were completely burned down when a section of the market caught fire. The fire, which started at about 3 p.m. also consumed foodstuffs, fabric, cosmetics, wares, amounts of money, among others. It took officials of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) several hours to put out the fire as they had to meander through crooked routes to reach the fire. The MP for Asokwa also expressed disappointment in the personnel of the GNFS for their inability to swiftly put off the fire. He described as 'bogus', the excuse given by the officials of the GNFS that the market was congested so much that accessibility was difficult. According to him, the fire fighters failed to put out the fire on time because they chose the wrong routes. "Though I do not intend to apportion blame, the Fire Service personnel could not put off the fire swiftly because they chose the wrong routes", he emphasised. Mr Jumah wondered why the GNFS chose to combat the fire from a lower ground rather than climbing the hilly area which was accessible and which could have offered them a better view of the market. Meanwhile, the Sinapa Aba Trust, a financial institution in Kumasi, has expressed its desire to write off debts of some of their clients who were affected by the fire outbreak. The Business and Development Manager of the Institution, Aaron Rexford said this during the visit. He could not immediately disclose the total amount involved and how many of their clients were affected but said the bank sympathised with the affected persons and reiterated that "we are considering writing off all debts". Source: Ghanaian Times