Don't Blame the NDC, Blame Bryan Acheampong

Some blame games and justification of certain things are absolutely senseless in my views.

How must Widowhood, make women and their children prone to numerous injustices and abuses, irrespective of the age, race, religious beliefs, societal class....in this Ayawaso by-election matter?

Indeed, I agree that, every woman is also a potential widow, but how must we attribute abuses and injustices to a woman just bcos she's lost her husband?

I am really struggling to understand why must any woman face injustice or abuse, just bcos the husband has died? Why? As Ghana grows, we need to change this mindset as well.

Admittedly, I can see bcos of some cultural beliefs, not only in Ghana, some women are usually turn to be the home makers and taken care of the kids at home, so that their husbands can go to work and bring food home.

In that, after the husband dies, that's when the demised husband families sometimes put pressure and sometimes even cause problems for the widow, to some point of even driven the woman from the husband's home, deny her and the kids shares in all the man's properties and wealth, even the home can been taken away from them. That becomes very disheartening and unfortunate.

However, looking at all these backgrounds of such potential happenings, that's why one must have been extremely careful in introducing the woman, a widow, who has just lost the husband in such a sudden painful way, into a frontline politics to take over from the husband's political position.

I keep saying that, no one should blame anybody in this matter, not NDC, not the woman herself, but our style of politics been practiced in Ghana, which we ourselves, the politicians, abusing the practice of politics to destroy democracy, and for that matter, also allowing democracy to have absolutely no respect for our culture and cultural norms and values. That's the problem.

The UK has its cultural values, US has its cultural values, the France has its culture, Germany has its culture,... which the practice of democracy still respect them values.

For the sake of political expediency, what maintains cultural values and acceptable standards, are been trampled upon in Ghana, no one cares, just to serve some whimsical and capricious interests of some individuals, and we allow this to create unnecessary tensions and expose innocent ones into all kinds of abuses and denigrations.

For a political party in power to make a replacement of a political/democratic electable position to parliament, to be seen and appear to the public as a means to show sympathy to and financial protection for a fresh widow, who just lost the husband in such painful manner, and perhaps take advantage of a potential sympathy votes from the voters, is very embarrassing. That can't be part of our democratic dispensation.

This is the cause of all these unnecessary abuses and brouhaha on the Wife of such a respectable Member of Parliament, who deserves not this treatment at this moment, coupled with the overwhelming mess and abuse police Special Weapons and Tactics unit, caused by Bryan Acheampong, with his position as the Minister of state in charge of National Security.

We, the NPP as a party, did not help the woman in anyway. I am happy she won the election though.

In fact, this matter probably would have been seen and handled differently if the NPP was in opposition, but the NPP is in power, for God sake, therefore our approach to every issue must be considered differently. We must show seriousness in governance.

In my view, I am sure that, all these are teaching us something in our practice of politics and democracy in Ghana, some good lessons are being learnt, to help ourselves grow beyond just seeing politics and democracy as simple thing and everything. There's definitely more to it, than just politicising every issue.

The NPP members must alway look beyond simple politics and concentrate on the party's good strength, not to be seen as competing in things that weakens the morals strength and principles of the party. The NPP has its own cherished ideologies, values and principles and them values must be protected.

To be seen competing in negative things that retards or bog down development of the country, especially when the party is in power of governance must be watched and switch from it.

We must learn some of these lessons at all levels and in all situations.

I repeat. All these puudwaa puudwaa after the By-election that should have so simple exercise, is caused by our own self, we cannot blame anybody. Some people see politics as everything, some are even not thinking.

Peter Antwi Boasiako.
London, UK.