Minority MPs have embarrassed parliament internationally with 'bloody widow' placards – Lecturer

Renowned Lecturer at the University of West London, Dr Da-Costa Aboagye has condemned the Minority in parliament and voiced his disappointment with their stigmatized behaviour towards Hon Lydia Alhassan Seyram.

According to Dr Aboagye, the minority has disrespected and stigmatised Hon Lydia Alhassan, with the bloody widow placards.

Speaking exclusively to MyNewsGh.com, Dr Aboagye said the minority have to show remorse and apologise to the honourable member, widows and women in general because it is very unparliamentarily , offensive, abusive, insulting to women and widows.

The Minority in Parliament on Tuesday, 5th February 2019 boycotted the swearing-in ceremony of Ms Lydia Alhassan Seyram, who was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency during the by-election on Thursday, 31st January 2019.

The election witness some violence following an attacks on some National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters by some National Security Operatives.

The heavily-armed masked National Security operatives shot and wounded the opposition supporters at the private residence of the NDC’s candidate about an hour into the by-election.

Dr Aboagye took the opportunity to condemn the violence which characterised the by-election but noted that it cannot be an excuse for the minority to stigmatise the widow of the late MP, Emmanuel Kyeremateng Agyarko, with placards of “bloody widow”.

This is a clear indication of a breach of parliamentary standing order 93(2) which categorically states ‘It shall be out of order to use offensive, abusive, insulting, blasphemous, or unbecoming words or to impute improper motives to any member or to make personal allusions’. He noted.

He further observed that the minority were not voted for by Ghanaians to disrespect, stigmatise, insult and treat vulnerable colleagues or anybody inhumanely. This attack is surely unparliamentarily and it is in the best interests of the minority to apologise sincerely.

Though Dr Aboagye was worried about how some human rights advocates like Nana Oye Lithur and others have kept quiet on this unparliamentarily stigmatization by leading members of the NDC.

He noticed that the minority has embarrassed parliament globally with the stigmatised “bloody widow” placards and called on all human right groups in the country and internationally to condemn the acts.