Ghana Stammering Association has described as unfortunate comments by a National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential aspirant, Alban Bagbin, that Dr Omane Boamah stammers and as a result, wasn’t fit for the job of a communications minister.
Mr. Bagbin is reported to have told party communicators in the Volta Region that former President John Mahama made an uninformed decision by appointing Dr Edward Omane Boamah as Communications Minister because he stammers.
Hon. Bagbin is reportedly quoted as saying ;“If you are not whole can you be a chief or a queen mother? So when you form a government and make the Minister for Chieftaincy a blind person and the chiefs are objecting and you don’t change it, what are you telling the chiefs? These are facts I am stating. I have not added anything. You all know it but you may not have appreciated the impact of what happened. And when some of us are close and can foresee it and we see it, then you are somewhere and you are telling people to insult us.
“It is not a chief that speaks, it is a linguist. So if you are a leader you must have a very good linguist. When Prof [Evans Atta Mills] was in power, Haruna Iddrisu was our linguist – in charge of communication. When our brother John came to power, he substituted him for Dr Omane, who is a natural stammerer. Who is a natural stammerer? He is a very intelligent boy. Smart. But when he is speaking he wastes time in coming out. Ghanaians don’t have that much patience.”
But President of the Stammerers Association, Elias Apraku describes Mr Bagbin’s comments as offensive and has, therefore, called on him to retract and apologise immediately.
Speaking to Ekourba Gyasi on Atinka FM’s AM Drive on Thursday, he noted that the association highly condemns his comments and subsequently seek an apology to Dr. Omane Boamah and to all persons who stammer, failure of which he said will erode the confidence of Stammerers who desire to take up Communication jobs.
Elias Nyamekye, President of the Stammerers Association, in registering the groups displeasure over the Statement made by Ghana’s longest serving Legislature, said they expected more from Hon. Bagbin based on his stature as a law maker who should be tabling motions in parliament to help address issues concerning the marginalized in society but not statements that make mockery of them.
The group according to its President demands an unqualified apology from Hon. Bagbin to the Former Communications Minister or they petition Parliament.
Ghana |Atinkaonline.com |Odel Boaheng