Recent anger among some colleague legislators within the Majority Caucus directed at Dome Kwabenya lawmaker Sarah Adwoa Sarfo has been of concern to the Africa Centre for Women in Politics.
According to the group, comments made against the lawmaker due to her continued absence in Parliament are bad taste and an attempt to denigrate her hard-won reputation.
“We have observed with deep concern the recent vitriolic attacks on Hon. Sarah Adwoa Safo, Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya Constituency and Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection.”
“We view this development as a well-calculated attempt to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. It is nothing but a well-calculated attempt by the two male MPs and the male editor/pollster to make Hon. Adwoa Safo look bad in the eyes of the public, her constituents, and especially members of the NPP”, the group’s statement read in parts.
The ACWP was particularly worried about utterances by the legislator for New Juaben South and a Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Michael Kofi Okyere Baafi, and Hon. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, MP for Assin Central constituency who have said their colleague MP is sabotaging the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP)
Also, the group expressed disappointment in Mr. Ben Ephson, Editor of the Daily Dispatch newspaper and pollster, advocating the party’s dismissal of Sarah Adwoa Safo.
“It is the view of the Centre that these attacks from her colleague MPs are unjustified, unwarranted, mischievous, and most unfortunate. We are aware that the many male MPs absent themselves from Parliament for similar periods without such calls for them to be sacked. It is our considered view that this is the time Hon. Adwoa Safo deserves the support of her colleagues in Parliament and for that matter the leadership of the NPP to go through these difficult times as a nursing mother.”
“It is therefore difficult for us to come to terms with the recent attacks on Hon. Adwoa Safo. We are of the view that Hon. Adwoa Safo is being persecuted because she is a woman. These persecutions are happening at a time when she is going through difficulties for which she requires the support of all of us and in particular her party leadership.”
“We are therefore calling on all Ghanaians especially Queen Mothers, Women Groups, gender advocates, and market women to rise to the defence of one of our own. This is the time to show solidarity to a fellow woman who deserves our support. We cannot leave her to fight this battle alone. A threat to a fellow woman in politics is a threat to all women”, it added.
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For some time now Sarah Adwoa Safo had been absent from Parliament following an extension of her leave which was granted by the President and has been in the news regularly.
Controversy arose a few months ago following allegations that she was impersonated during Parliamentary proceedings on November 30, 2021, because the Majority side needed the numbers at all cost to approve the government’s 2022 budget, which they did despite the disapproval by the Minority side.
The situation sparked public debate when videos and photos of a woman believed not to be the Dome Kwabenya MP from the proceedings in Parliament went viral on social media.
In the said video, the woman was seen wearing a nose mask, leaving the chamber right after the headcount which led to the approval of the budget statement.
Madam Adwoa Safo has been away from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection Ministry as well, after President Akufo-Addo directed the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, to temporarily serve as caretaker Minister in October 2021.
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
