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General News of Friday, 7 June 2019

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Affirmative action bill, a mirage under Akufo Addo's government - WIPT

The Affirmative Action Bill is a piece of legislation that speaks actively to the issues of women The Affirmative Action Bill is a piece of legislation that speaks actively to the issues of women

Women In Politics Training Alumni has stated that the president's commentary at the 2019 women deliver summit exposes him and raises eyebrows to his quest in seeing the Affirmative Action Bill passed into Law.

According to the group, the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo in his response says in Ghana the majority of the population are women constituting 52% and to have a fair and ordered society, those statistics should count.

They should be decisive where it matters. At the end of the day communities or group talking does not translate into power.

In a press statement, they said “his Excellency went on to say, in the two and half years that he has been president there has not been enough movement being made by the 52% of the Ghanaian population that are women to be able to be in the position to make decisions”

Below is the full Press release:

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION BILL, A MIRAGE UNDER PRESIDENT AKUFO ADDO'S GOVERNMENT

"When a corn eye will grow bigger, it starts from germination " unknown

The president commentary at the 2019 women delivers summit exposes him and raises eyebrows to his quest in seeing the Affirmative Action Bill passed into Law.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo in his response says in Ghana the majority of the population are women constituting 52% and to have a fair and ordered society, those statistics should count. They should be decisive where it matters. At the end of the day communities or group talking does not translate into power.

His Excellency went on to say, in the two and half years that he has been president there has not been enough movement being made by the 52% of the Ghanaian population that are women to be able to be in the position to make decisions

As if that's not enough disappointing and embarrassing commentary from an A.U “Gender Champion”, he says, he is not seeing enough dynamism and activism from the women.

On the same panel was Dr. Alaa Murabit who swiftly educated the President, saying systems have been really designed to hold women back and doors have been closed

His excellency further exposed himself by asking how those doors can be opened to women, clearly he has no idea.

Above narration exposes the poor appreciation & weak comprehension of President Nana Addo on what means to be a woman in a crook patrichial society, what's it means to create an opportunity vis-à-vis the unusual systemic hurdles, thorns, mountains, bushes, hell etc a woman in a patrichial society has to navigate before seizing such an opportunity. And after defying all odds to seize the opportunity, you to continue navigating through extremely unusual judgemental tendencies.

His comments reveals he’s a leader who is not in touch with the majority (52%) of the people he’s leading and it’s an indictment on his leadership

He spoke about women’s lack of involvement in politics and leadership positions but ever since he took office, various calls by gender activists, organizations etc for the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into Law have fallen on deaf ears and yet despite his acknowledgment of that he’s simply failed to pass the bill into law

The Affirmative Action Bill is a piece of legislation that speaks actively to the issues of women and power, structures and the stumbling blocks that prevents women from accessing the corridors of power yet he’s failed to pass it into law

Maybe the president should tell us what he’s doing in his capacity as a African Union “Gender Champion” to push the bill into law or he can tell us how a domestic violence victim can be in the right frame of mind to contest for a political position

The Domestic Violence Act like many others has been shelved, collecting dust

Gender activist have had the government sued to fund the regulation of the law in other to make it visible for the 42% of women in Ghana who are domestic violence victims and yet nothing has happened despite dynamic, active actions by gender advocates

Mr President, your commentary makes the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into Law only a mirage, reality seems far distant than ever thought.

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ISSUED BY:
Women In Politics Training Alumni (WIPT)

MADAM LARDI AWUNI
(0543180507)