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30.06.2016 Press Release

Young Democrats Condemn Kennedy Agyepong

By Young Democrats
Young Democrats Condemn Kennedy Agyepong
30.06.2016 LISTEN

The Young Democrats are saddened by the outrageous demagoguery attack on the personality of the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs. Charlotte Osei by Mr. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Member of Parliament for Assin North and wish to condemn such unfortunate attack.

It is a stain on Ghana’s democracy and the empowerment of women for a lawmaker in the august House of Parliament to make such pejorative comments against not only Mrs. Charlote Osei but Ghanaian women who have strived for academic and professional excellence to reach greater heights.

To mean that Mrs. Charlotte Osei offered sex in return for her appointment as Chairperson of the Electoral Commission could best be described as “sexual terrorism” on women.

The Young Democrats believe this explosion of stereotyping of women by leading members of the NPP is no coincidence. This is an ideological strategy to intimidate and organized to humiliate, terrify and to denigrate Ghanaian women.

Mr. Kennedy Agyapong is also on record to have publicly abused broadcast journalist Valentina Agyeiwaa better known as Afia Schwarzenegger in a manner only dishonourable to his position as Member of Parliament.

Mr. Kennedy Agyapong’s despicable conducts and the silence of the NPP is an attempt to stir up prejudice against women particularly those in public office. We are also convinced that this form of gender terror is to intimidate women into submission, which is an affront to the global fight against gender inequality and discrimination against women.

We wish to call on the respected leadership of Parliament to take punitive action against Mr. Kennedy Agyapong who has gained unsavory reputation of abuse of women. If Parliament fails to call on its Member, Kennedy Agyapong to withdraw and apologize to the women of Ghana, his actions, as it may be, will tend to destroy the honour of the House of Parliament and humiliate not only Madam Charlotte Osei but also Ghanaian women in general.

It can also be recalled that during the NPP primaries for the 2012 elections, party hothead and then MP for Asokwa, Maxwell Kofi Jumah launched similar attack on former Mayor of Kumasi and current MP for Asokwa, Madam Patricia Appiagyei. Kofi Jumah described Mad. Appiagyei as a prostitute who secured the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) position, not on merit, but because of sexual favours. The then Presidential Candidate, Nana Akufo Addo declined to condemn the unsavory statement warning Madam Patricia Apiagyei that she cannot win the parliamentary seat by offering her bottom like she did for the MCE job.

It has become evident that this toxic mix of organized criminality blended with a misogynist ideology of hatred towards women, and those in high office in particular influences this practice of the NPP.

These actions of the NPP leading members and the continuous silence of Nana Akufo Addo on such abuses appears to be part of a much larger pattern of calculated, collectively-perpetrated sexual abuse and intimidation played out by the party. The deliberate refusal of the NPP leadership to denounce the attack on the EC Chairperson legitimizes not only the attacks by Kennedy Agyapong but also incites the public to consider that women are impious, miscreants and hostages who can be sexual slaves in exchange for appointments.

This inexcusable silence or downplaying of earlier abuse and sexual assaults of women by the NPP leadership has further confirmed our fears that the practice of assault on women is ideologically motivated.

The Young Democrats demand of Nana Akufo Addo and the NPP to release unreserved statement of support for the Electoral Commissioner and to condemn Kennedy Agyapong to clear the party’s complicity in such calculated attacks.

The Young Democrats hold that as a country, we need to abhor violence against women. Ghanaians must therefore hold out against the NPP ideology of stereotyping and intimidating women. We need to accept that only those who accept the rule of law, freedom of religion and equality of the sexes, have the right to live with us and lead our country.

Signed:
Abass M. Osabutey
Convener (0244206569)
Justice Dansu Norvor
Secretary
(0573335757)
David Kumi Addo
Communication Director
(0273009907)
Sylvia Addy
Dep. Comm. Director
(0244717270)

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