Former First lady Nana Kondau Agyemang Rawlings has descended heavily on the Minority Members for staging a walkout during the swearing-in of Lydia Allassan, the newly elected MP for the Ayawaso West Wougon Constituency.

The Members of Parliament on Tuesday 5th February 2019 staged a walkout during the swearing-in of Lydia Alhassan, the newly elected Member of Parliament for the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency.

Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak Mohammed, on the floor of parliament, asked permission to boycott the swearing-in in order to 'solidarize' with the victims of the violence which occurred at the La Bawaleshie polling centre during the election.

They displayed placards with the inscription “bloody widow”, which suggested that the minority was actually against the swearing- in of the newly elected Member of Parliament for the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency, Lydia Alhassan.

In a statement signed by the former First Lady and copied to GhanaWeb, Madam Konadu described the incident as shameful adding that the MPs should have known better.

"I have watched with shock and consternation, the callous and maliciously orchestrated attempt by Members of the Minority in Parliament to belittle, lampoon and ridicule the newly elected Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Ms. Lydia Seyram Alhassan. These legislators, who are expected to know better, referred to Ms Alhassan as a ‘Bloody Widow’ and then walked out of the Parliamentary Chamber during her swearing-in". she stated

She described the act as 'shameful' adding that she was disappointed in the fact that the act was carried out in no other place than the Parliament of Ghana after twenty-four years of global commitments towards respecting women and promoting the involvement of women in politics.

Mrs Rawlings further called on the NDC's MPs to honourably apologise to Ghanaians especially Hon. Seyram Lydia Alhassan for passing such a disgraceful comment.

"I call on the leadership of the NDC to do what is honourable by apologising to Ghanaians generally and specifically, to the Hon. Seyram Lydia Alhassan and the good people of Ayawaso West Wuogon", the statement urged. Below is the full statement

Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings writes

Ghanaians Deserve A Better Minority in Parliament

I have watched with shock and consternation, the callous and maliciously orchestrated attempt by Members of the Minority in Parliament to belittle, lampoon and ridicule the newly elected Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Ms. Lydia Seyram Alhassan.

These legislators, who are expected to know better, referred to Ms Alhassan as a ‘Bloody Widow’ and then walked out of the Parliamentary Chamber during her swearing-in.

Walkouts are an accepted practice in Parliamentary democracies, but staging a walk out because of the election of an innocent, grieving woman to Parliament is a shameful misuse of accepted parliamentary norms.

It is sad that this shameful display was carried out in no other place than the Parliament of Ghana, twenty-four years after Ghana made global commitments towards respecting women and promoting the involvement of women in politics.

The events of Tuesday, 5th Febuary, 2019, also casts doubt on the commitment of the Minority to the progress of women and towards ensuring the protection of women from domestic violence, Intimidation, discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace; Inequality in the labour market; human trafficking; Child abuse and many other acts of injustice.

If women who engage in politics are lampooned in the way and manner witnessed in Parliament on Tuesday, then no number of safe seats would be sufficient in improving the dwindling fortunes of female politicians.

As the President of an NGO for women, which has worked with women and young persons for over two decades, I see the events of Tuesday as a wicked attempt to undo the progress we have made so far in increasing women's participation in politics and ultimately in national development.

I call on the leadership of the NDC to do what is honourable by apologising to Ghanaians generally and specifically, to the Hon. Seyram Lydia Alhassan and the good people of Ayawaso West Wuogon.

For the legislative arm of government (Parliament House ) to be taken seriously by Ghanaians, foremost, it should exhibit that it takes itself serious.

Forces of Women Empowerment, Arise Now !!!

God Bless Women in Ghana and across the world.

God Bless Our Homeland Ghana.

Signed: Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings