Apologizing is not enough – Security Expert to Hawa Koomson

The Minister-designate for Fisheries, Mavis Hawa Koomson during her time at the Parliamentary Appointment Committee apologized for the gun shooting incident at Kasoa during the voters’ registration exercise.

Madam Hawa Koomson who was then the Minister for Special Development Initiatives was seen firing warning shots at the Steps to Christ polling station claiming it was in self-defence.

“I’d want to put on record that the incident didn’t happen at the polling centre. It happened about 150 meters from the polling centre but I still regret it. I wish it never happened in our political history. Mr. Chairman, I also want to seize the opportunity to apologize to the people who were so scared on that day. It was in defence of myself because of the circumstance that I found myself in on that day, I felt that I needed to save my life by defending it,” the former Special Development Initiative Minister told the Appointment Committee Thursday during her vetting.

But Security Expert, Richard Kumadoe says the apology rendered by the Fisheries Minister-designate is not enough hence she must be responsible for her ‘unparliamentary’ actions.

Speaking in an interview on the Happy Morning Show (HMS) with Samuel Eshun, Kumadoe said “Because of her actions, families were affected and where she apologized is not enough. What stopped her from going to those families to apologize to them or apologizing at the constituency where the incident happened. This is the level of irresponsibility we have become in this country, things happen and nobody takes responsibility for it. Let’s ask ourselves she has apologized for the second or third time that she fired the gun, do we know what is going to be the response or reaction of those whose families were hurt or injured, those whose properties were damaged and the people who died?

Their anger towards the police and her those are the things we need to look at. Even conflict management is a better way of doing it. I don’t know what they are going to do but I think apologizing is not just enough people must be held accountable for their actions.”

During the mass voter registration exercise in July 2020, Mavis Hawa Koomson stormed the centre after receiving information that people from outside the constituency were bussed to register there as voters.

She accused the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of transporting [bussing] people from outside the constituency, from Gomoa East and Nsawam to come and register at the Step to Christ polling station.