Of Uncouth Conduct And Disturbing Prognosis

BLACK EYE! Mma Kande and Deputy Minister Hajia Hawawu Boya Gariba

The assault on Deputy Minister For Women and Children's Affairs, Hajia Boya Gariba, by persons she described as agents of Communications Minister Haruna Iddrisu, is a grim prognosis of what could befall the country when the incidence of intolerance in the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) persists in our body politic. For those who thought the garb of political intolerance is no longer a feature of the party, the Boya Salon Assault rubbishes their stance.

It is not our intention to apportion blame in the rather murky political irresponsibility of whoever originated the assault, especially as Hajia Boya Gariba insists it was undertaken by agents of Communications Minister Haruna Iddrisu.

The Communications Minister would definitely deny such an allegation as is always the case with such negative stories; nobody claims responsibility for them.

Our worry is hinged on the possible replication of the unacceptable conduct when the 2012 elections are due. The Atiwa and Chereponi debacles, it would seem, have not been confined to the backburners of our politics yet. If a deputy minister in the ruling party can suffer such an assault at the hands of her colleague minister, assuming the allegation is right, political opponents in the other groupings should start considering how to respond to an Atiwa type of treatment from hawks of the ruling party when they are under pressure.

Mma Kande, the lady who allegedly pounced upon the deputy minister, opens a fresh chapter in political indiscipline ahead of the polls. When such 'machoistic' conduct, as witnessed in Tamale, creeps into the fold of women, then politics of intolerance can be seen to be assuming a scary dimension.

Evidently, the deputy minister is harbouring some pain. It is a pain fueled by a phobia that some of her colleagues are out to destroy her and end her political career. This does not speak well of the development of our democratic culture and sincerity to encourage women to join mainstream politics.

Particularly scary is the allegation she leveled against the president's spokesperson, who she claimed once slapped her. Could that be possible? Did she really report the matter to the Chief of Staff and nothing was done about it? Was she speaking the truth when she made all the allegations against her colleagues?

Someone is definitely not speaking the truth and who could that be? We are interested in establishing the veracity of the allegations and the denials regarding the assault because it presents an important factor for determining the quality of our politicians.