Kennedy Agyapong Must Be Forgiven

The Member of Parliament for Assin Central in the Central Region, Mr Kennegy Agyapong came under public criticism recently, following the uncomplimentary comments he made against the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Madam Charlotte Osei.

The alleged uncomplimentary remark is already in the public domain and The Chronicle does not want to repeat it.

It is, however, important to note that when the issue cropped up, the Assin Central MP went to extent of saying that if he was provoked, he would divulge more information about Madam Osei.

Women groups, under the alleged influence of some bigwigs in the ruling National Democratic Congress, took up the matter and organised a series of demonstrations against the MP.

Apart from these politically motivated women group, other notable women in the country, including even some prominent men condemned the statement made against the EC chair by the firebrand politician.

In the face of all these criticisms, the MP insisted that there was no need for him to apologize for his sudden outburst.  In an interview he granted to Adom FM yesterday, however, Mr Kennedy Agyapong appears to have swallowed back the harsh words he used against the lady.

“That comment about Charlotte was made on the sideline; it was even at the tail end of my speech when I was about to sit down, but you media chose to focus on that. I don’t think it was something serious,” he reportedly told the radio station.

The Chronicle does not know when the MP realized that the comment that has been condemned by prominent people in our society was not a serious one and that it was just a joke. The Chronicle nevertheless is happy that he has showed at least, a little sign of remorse over the issue.

It is important to note that the alleged statement was made on political platform. It is a trite knowledge that when politicians mount political platforms, they are always carried away by the reaction of their audiences to make certain statements that ought not to have come from them. We believe this is exactly what happened to Kennedy Agyapong, because the statement was needless and could have been avoided.

Charlotte Osei, as head of Ghana's electoral body is not above criticism, especially when one looks at the way the 2012 polls were conducted by the same body, resulting in the eight months that the country had to sit on tenterhooks when the case was sent to Supreme Court.

During yesterday's interview, Kennedy Agyapong pointed out that, the fact that he says his words against the EC boss were not serious, did not in any way mean that he has confidence in the EC Chairperson.

He insisted that Madam Charlotte Osei has to do more to prove that she is being fair and transparent. He alleged that the ruling party has hatched several plans in connivance with the EC to rig the elections and that it is only strict vigilance by the NPP that can help prevent the plans of the NDC from coming true.

The MP, to us, is entitled to his opinion, which has already been publicly supported by some right thinking people in the Ghanaian society. What Mr Agyapong and other firebrand politicians should avoid is the direct attack on her person.

The MP should also not lose sight of the fact that he is a member of the NPP and that whatever he says in one way or the other affects the fortune of the party as well.

Some leading members of the NDC had in the past made similar derogatory statements, but when Kennedy Agyapong's issue came up, they were the same people hoping from one radio station to the other condemning him and that is the politics of it.

It is the hope of The Chronicle that he has learnt useful lessons out of this and would properly conduct himself the next time he mounts a political platform.