Member of Parliament for Korle Klottey, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, has lamented the decision by some members of the minority caucus to vote in favor of government’s ministerial nominees.
According to her, the decision by these persons smacks of betrayal, especially as the party they belong to took a decision to vote against the President’s nominations on principle.
She revealed that this was needed for President Akufo-Addo to avert his mind to the bloated size of his government and cabinet and show the commitment of the Executive to reduce its expenditure as the government struggles with unsustainable debt.
“If you disagree with a position the party and leadership have taken, have the courage of your convictions and speak up! It is cowardice and treachery to hide within the collective to pursue your individual parochial agenda.”
Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings
Dr Agyemang-Rawlings indicated that she is still reeling from the outcome of the secret ballot in the House on Friday, March 24, 2023, and she has come to the sad realization that the unfortunate side of “being part of a collective is the collective shame” that comes with the actions of a few unknown faces whose actions affect everyone.
For the first time, she revealed that she was “forced” to keep evidence of her votes to protect her integrity and name.
In the Chamber, she explained that when the back and forth was done, the voting began amidst threats to annul one’s vote if any MP was caught displaying his or her ballot paper. However, she revealed that along with her “sister” MP for Afadjato South constituency, Angela Alorwu-Tay, they began a discussion on how to ensure that they had evidence of their votes.
Citing her reasons, she recounted that the last time there was a secret ballot, the women in the minority caucus were falsely accused “en bloc” of having betrayed the NDC, to the extent that an unscrupulous person even used her picture and that of a number of colleagues as part of that ludicrous headline at the time. To this end, she noted that they had no intention of allowing their integrity to be attacked again.
“The idea of taking a photo of my vote was so alien to me but given the high level of suspicion and finger pointing already in the public domain, I realized it was imperative to take such a drastic measure to protect my integrity, ‘in the interest of probity and accountability (in the words of the late President JJ Rawlings)’.”
Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings
Korley Klottey MP calls for unity within caucus
The Korle Klottey legislator admitted that despite her efforts in keeping evidence of her voting, she was still shocked by the results and is “crestfallen”. She highlighted that even the knowledge of her evidence of how she voted, did not bring her the relief she had hoped for.
“People were looking up to us, and we had let the side down. As I’ve enquired about the possible reasons for what happened, I’ve concluded that we are looking at a situation of different interests converging in a single outcome. So, what is the solution to this wicked problem?”
Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings
As a party, Dr Agyemang-Rawlings highlighted that the minority caucus has been drifting from its principles and values “not-so-slowly” and that this is a wakeup call that this drift can no longer be ignored or brushed under the carpet. Justifying her stance, she highlighted that it took a handful of people and a single iceberg to sink the titanic and with it, many innocent persons drowned or froze to death.
Bearing in mind the possibility of being attacked for her statement, Dr Agemang-Rawlings recounted days her father, the late Jerry John Rawlings continued to advise and chastise the party in the face of sometimes outright abuse from his own, to which he remained true to his convictions. She stated that on Friday night, she felt a deep pain that maybe it was perhaps better that her father was not alive to witness what had happened to the NDC.
“I still remember vividly when from his hospital bed, he asked me how the people in my constituency were doing in the lead up to the 2020 General Elections. Even when he was a few days away from his own death, he was still worried about Ghana!… I thought perhaps had he been alive he would probably have challenged all of us to go and swear on Antoa or dared us to take a lie-detector test!”
Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings
Dr Agyemang-Rawling expressed the need for the minority to return to the values and principles on which the party was built including honesty, accountability, integrity, discipline and commitment to the nation, Ghana.
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