Statement on rampaging elephants draws

A statement made by a member on Wednesday on the destructive activities of elephants in his area turned out to be a favourite fable of the Majority, a bad omen for the Minority and a little offensive to the feminist.

The statement paid full compliments to the elephant, which is the symbol of the New Patriotic Party, the Majority party, while certain towns mentioned bore names that depicted the frail nature of women.

Abraham Owusu Baidoo, NDC-Twifo/Hemang/Lower Denkyira had sought to highlight the plight of peasants along the fringes of the Kakum Forest Reserve where rampaging elephants destroy farms.

He presented an interesting zoological account laced with folklore of the beast, which is arguably the biggest animal on land. "It has a wonderful memory to the extend that after several years it is capable of remembering an event which took place as far back as fifty years.

It is soft and gentle and is believed to consider all other animals as its children." He said, "the meekness of the elephant however, does not mean weakness because no other animal is known to have ever defeated the elephant in a fight."

The member said the mammal was a keystone specie, "playing a pivotal role in structuring plant and animal communities and dominating the biomass in the habitats it occupies."

He said certain plant species like Baku germinate and grow only after the seed passes through the gut of the elephant. Baidoo said the creation of the Kakum Forest Reserve, communities bordering it such as Tweapease, Abeka Nkwanta, Mfuom, Afeaso, Antwikwaa, Mmmaaniaye (women are ungrateful), Mmaapehia (Women shun the poor) had to live with ordeal of occasional destruction of their farms.

Grace Coleman, Deputy Minister of Finance, appealed to the people whose towns bore "anti woman" names to rename them as a tribute to the modern woman who is progressive.