An International Relations Consultant, Adu Nasir has dissuaded Ghana’s MPs from any intentions to embark on retaliatory moves with regard to the denial of visa to Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini by the Netherlands Embassy.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Friday, Mr Nasir stated that it is not right for Ghana to retaliate.

“I think that the call for retaliation is something that we need to take a very good look at it in the sense that we need to ask ourselves if we need to respond in that order, what are the means? What are we using? What front are we coming from? If we say we are retaliating, on what grounds?” he quizzed.

 This he said is because Ghana does not have much power to take such action.

 “I know people talk about the fact that these things cannot be done in Nigeria or Saudi Arabia or most of the Arab countries. But the question is, what do you hold that you can actually stand up and mention some of these countries and say we are going to retaliate based on this and this is the position you’ve taken…we do not have that much strength, we don’t,” he said.

His comment comes in reaction to the Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa’s view that if the issue is not resolved with appropriate answers and apology given to the legislative arm, then “we [Ghana] must kick in reciprocity, the principle of reciprocity must apply.” 

According to Mr Nasir, “the whole idea of visa denial to MPs, there is still a way [to address it]”  

He therefore proposed that Ghana should call for a negotiation with the country in order to come up with measures to deal with the issues instead of retaliating.

“If you take a critical look at International Relations and we have our diplomats, years of experience and everything, it is times like this, that we need the expertise coming to the table instead of coming out with measures I do not think that this is right for us to retaliate,”

This argument comes in the wake of the Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini in a Facebook post stating that he has been denied visa by the Netherlands Embassy with the explanation that he would not return to Ghana.

He becomes the third Member of Parliament to be denied visa.