Alban Bagbin and Jerry John Rawlings
FOUNDER OF the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Jerry John Rawlings, has expressed his displeasure over comments made by one of the presidential hopefuls of the party and Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, regarding persons with disabilities in Ghana.
Mr. Bagbin, who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Nadowli Kaleo in the Northern Region, in seeking to make mockery of ex-President Mahama’s appointments, singled out the appointment of Dr. Henry Seidu Danaa, former Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, as one of the factors that led to the shameful defeat of the NDC at the polls in 2016, paving way for President Akufo-Addo, then flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party, to be elected with a vote margin of over one million.
The MP, who is mounting a ‘spirited’ campaign against the re-election of Mr. Mahama as the NDC flag bearer, stated when commenting on the party’s electoral defeat to the NPP that “. . . there were some of these mistakes that cost us dearly. Let me cite another example; in our tradition, if you are not whole, can you be a chief or queen mother?”
He continued “so if you form a government and make a blind person the minister of chieftaincy and the chiefs are objecting and you don’t change him, what are you telling the chiefs?”
The MP also questioned the appointments of Mahama’s former Communications Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, and Deputy Education Minister, Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa.
His comments, especially concerning that of Dr. Seidu Danaa who is visually impaired, have not gone down well with the leadership of the NDC and some persons with disabilities in Ghana.
In a statement issued by the communications directorate of his office and signed by Kobina Andoh Amoakwa, Rawlings is quoted to have said “such utterances have the tendency to negatively affect the unity and cohesion of the party.”
Mr. Rawlings, who is also the chairman of the NDC council of elders, warned “the comments of Mr. Bagbin were unacceptable and contrary to the values and principles of social inclusion of the NDC party.”
He stated that the ongoing intra-party democratic processes taking place in the NDC were meant to further deepen the democratic credentials of the party and indicated that the national executive committee of the party would have to ensure the full application of the rules and regulations governing campaign utterances and electioneering.
Greenstreet Angry!
Earlier, the 2016 presidential candidate of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Lawyer Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, was incensed at Mr. Bagbin’s comments, threatening to petition the Speaker of Parliament to refer the lawmaker to the Privileges Committee for what he termed as “unsavory and unacceptable remarks unbefitting of the high office of the Speaker.”
BY Melvin Tarlue