The Minority Leader’s recent criticisms of the Clerk to Parliament’s Appointments Committee have once again highlighted a disturbing trend in Ghana’s political landscape—one in which even fundamental principles of decency, respect, and fairness are subjected to partisan politics and interpretation.
The Minority Leader’s public rebuke of the Clerk—accusing her of partisan bias—has been widely criticized as unwarranted and unfair.
While the Minority Leader has on several occasions insisted on his criticisms, many observers believe the attack on her was not just an institutional critique but a personal and demeaning assault on her integrity.
Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare, a Democracy and Development Fellow in Public Law and Justice at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), reacting to the development, critiqued this deepening culture of political polarisation and lamented the erosion of shared ethical standards in public discourse.
In a nation where truth and facts are increasingly viewed through the narrow lens of political allegiance, fundamental issues of right and wrong are becoming unresolvable disputes. Professor Asare highlighted this alarming reality.
His concern is not merely about the partisan divide but about how this divide is shaping attitudes toward conduct that should be universally condemned.
“How else can we explain the inability to agree on the inappropriateness of publicly demeaning a working mother? In a society where religion shapes our values and motherhood is revered, such an act should be beyond debate. It should be instinctively condemned, not excused or justified by political allegiance.”
Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare
Professor Asare’s argument is not about whether the Clerk was right or wrong in her actions; rather, he underscored a deeper principle—public humiliation, especially of a working mother, is inappropriate and unworthy of a society that prides itself on respect and cultural values.
He emphasized that even if the Clerk had erred in her duties, the appropriate response would have been correction with dignity, not public denigration.
The Hypocrisy of a Moral Society
Ghana is a society where religion and tradition shape moral values, and motherhood is held in high esteem. For those who were raised by single working mothers, as Professor Asare noted, the spectacle was deeply unsettling.
It reflects a growing indifference to the struggles of women in professional spaces, where they often have to work twice as hard to gain respect but are still subjected to undue scrutiny and public shaming.
This episode according to Professor Asare is not just about politics; it is about the very identity of the Ghanaian people and whether they will uphold the values they claim to cherish.
When basic decency becomes partisan, Professor Asare posited that society loses more than just its moral compass—it begins to unravel.
Professor Asare’s critique serves as a warning. When a society can no longer agree on basic ethical standards—when what should be a clear act of disrespect becomes a partisan argument—it signals a deeper moral crisis.
The increasing normalization of public humiliation, especially in political spaces, sets a dangerous precedent. If left unchecked, it risks becoming an entrenched culture, where personal attacks overshadow the substance of governance and leadership.
Beyond politics, this issue should serve as a wake-up call for political leaders, civil society, religious bodies, and traditional leaders. If Ghanaian society is to uphold its values, then respect, fairness, and dignity must not be conditional on political affiliation.
Professor Asare’s reflections challenge Ghanaians to look beyond their political biases and reassess the standards they are willing to tolerate.
If partisanship continues to dictate what is acceptable, then the nation risks losing more than just political integrity—it risks losing its soul.
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