You speak 'recklessly and backwardly' - Women's group fires Ursula

For her controversial statement made on Asempa FM, last Thursday, Mrs Ursula Owusu has come under attacks from various quarters, the latest being from a foundation for the promotion of women interest in governance, Gratia Women of Substance Network.

The women group has also launched a blistering attack on the Minister, describing her radio comments as reckless, backward, undemocratic and injurious to the progress of the nation Ghana.

Under the signature of the Executive Director, Madam Theresa Gbekie, the women group demanded an immediate apology from the Communications Minister, so as to enable the country heal from her foul language.

Below is the full text of the statement

For Immediate Release

February 21, 2020

GRATIA WOMEN OF SUBSTANCE NETWORK CONDEMNS URSULA OWUSU EKUFUL ON HER RECKLESS PUBLIC UTTERANCES

The Gratia Women of Substance Network is a political women group that has occupied a political space in Ghana's political jurisprudence over the years. It is in keeping with the organization's mission for existence of empowering women, promoting gender equality and safeguarding Ghana's fledgling democracy, it is issuing this statement.

The attention of the group has been drawn to a rather reckless, backward, undemocratic and injurious statement from Ghana's Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu Ekuful on Asempa FM yesterday. The Minister in her interview said:

"We aren't going to allow the NDC to ever come to power. Over our dead bodies. The real owners of Ghana are now in charge. Whatever opportunity they [NDC] had to govern in the past belongs to history but we are sounding a note of warning to them that they will never see power again. Ghana deserves quality leadership and not this bunch of incompetent people".

The Gratia Women of Substance Network is of the strongest view that these statements are not only backward, tribalistic, undemocratic and insulting but unGhanaian and unpatriotic as well. It is again in view of this that we condemn this statement from Ursula Owusu in the strongest and unambiguous terms.

Ghana has come a long way in her journey into this democratic dispensation. The constitution of Ghana guarantees freedom of speech and free expression but the same law places on us some responsibility that we should guard and guide us in making statements that may be injurious and has tendencies of eroding our democratic gains. Such statements create the impression that apart from NPP no other party can rule Ghana and also confirms the suspicion that, this Government will do anything fair or foul to stay in power. The situation becomes even more worrisome when the party ( through their Government) has operated a training center that trains militias even at government installation, the Christianborg (Osu) castle, which is a security zone. We saw it in Manesseh's documentary " militia in the heart of nation". There is rumours that they are still training more of their men at Bundasi ahead of the 2020 general elections. This we can't accept and countenance going forward.

We demand that the minister as a matter of urgency publicly apologises and retracts the said statement as it may form a basis for others to respond in like manner thereby heightening tension in Ghana.

Executive Director Theresa Gbekie 0244137517