"Margaret Thatcher wasn't of my politics, obviously, but I remember
my dad was a really strong conservative and in the 1970s, I remember him
telling me, 'there is no way the British people are going to elect a
woman as Prime Minister'. She won three elections.
"People are less prejudiced than you ever think they are,
they're more sensible and more modern and more understanding and it
should be the best person for the job, irrespective of race,
irrespective of gender, irrespective of anything else." - Tony Blair.
Women are more than half the population of Ghana. So it perfectly makes
sense to have a woman at the top executive job - it is democratic. And
not just Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings as Commander-In-Chief, but more
women into top civil service jobs.
Aside the fact this, Konadu Agyeman Rawlings is as qualified as any
politician - male or female to lead the country. Her winning the ruling
party's primaries would be a very good thing for our women, for equality
and for our democracy.
A lot of women shy away from high ranking competition with men. The fact
that the former First Lady is challenging a sitting President proves
her toughness and decisiveness required for executive position like that
of President.
I have been intrigued by the reasons a few detractors in the media have
put up against her. Their argument, is not about whether or not she will
be a good President, No. They are saying she should not run because she
is the wife of a former President. How disingenuous!
Where in the constitution of the Republic of Ghana or that of the NDC,
does it say that a woman cannot be president if her husband has been
there before? And how could people ask her not to run when every
credible survey indicates that the sitting President will lose the next
election if he is candidate of the NDC?
There are enormous benefits of living history at Jerry Rawlings' side
for several years, but "Nana Konadu is a woman of substance on her own."
Some have even said she is too ambitious and that they don't like that.
Are these folks seriously suggesting that it is OK for a man, like -
Addo Kufour, Nana Ado, Kwesi Awhoi, John Mahama or Alan K - to have
ambitions but not for a woman? Can anyone name any serious politician
who isn't ambitious? The absence of ambition in politics is a recipe for
failure.
It makes one wonder, if such school yard innuendos, are the worse things they could
say about a woman whose life has
been put under every magnifying glass every journalist in Ghana could
find. What a deceptive way to judge Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings!
Others have said she can't be president because she has enemies. The
fact that a small band of vociferous journalists hate her doesn't mean
she should run away from trying to do something good for her country.
They talk about a young man who was manhandled by an over-zealous
security detail. The question is, how many parents - Muslims and true
Christians alike, would not be upset about a young boy trying to corrupt
their daughter?
We have situations where girls have been raped or abused by their
so-called boyfriends. Every parent has a duty to protect their children,
especially their teenage daughters.
Many people may disagree with how the over-zealous soldiers treated
Master Selassie Gyentu, or Konadu Agyeman's subsequent response to the
incident. I respect their right to disagree with the method, but it does
not take away the fundamental moral obligation of every parent to
protect their daughters from misguided boys. We must understand that the
former First Lady is a Catholic.
If you pray to God as Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings does, if you have never
left the church, you would know that it is not only immoral but
irresponsible for a parent to encourage this boyfriend-girlfriend
twaddle.
Thank God her daughters have turned out fine and better than the
daughters of her critics. Their daughters and sons (the critics) have
been wild and crazy and had many boyfriends or girlfriends.
Asking people not to consider voting for Konadu Agyeman not based on
what she'd done in the last thirty-two years of work but what she is
alleged to have done some fifteen or so years ago is warped bias of the
worse kind.
If there is evidence of corruption to find on her, I bet some of these
misguided politicians parading as journalists would have found it
already. There is simply no smoking gun; the attacks and regurgitated
reports from this small band of journalists are quite stale and boring.
Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings was persuaded with deep reluctance to step
into the race for the leadership of the party. As she aptly put it in a
recent interview - "you should know that the easiest thing for me would
have been to stay aloof and join the chorus boys" but certainly there is
work to do for mother Ghana - The country is hungry for leadership.
The small group of detractors in the media, have relentlessly thrown mud
at her, but she is unfazed. These journalists and their sponsors have
had more than 20years to prove that Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings or her
husband are corrupt but have failed. They have never proven her
culpability in the "Scancem agreement." All we have been subjected to
from these squalid little rags we call newspapers, are rehashed and
regurgitated investigations that were closed more than twenty years ago.
These Journalists are afraid that, contrary to their vilification,
Ghanaians will see a woman who is genuine, knowledgeable, smart and
appealing if they do not blunt her side of the story or twist the facts
to suit their agenda.
The truth is, she will make a big difference for all of us, boys and
girls, women and men, rich and poor - everyone will benefit from her
presidency.
The country doesn't just need a leader who can renew and re-energise the
ruling party or make us feel good about ourselves. We need one who is
also
capable of delivering hard truths to the NDC when required.
Her breadth of leadership skills and experience, combined with her
clear vision of where she wants to take the NDC and Ghana also, give the
NDC its best chance of winning the next general election.
Comparatively, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings appeals more to young
voters, women, the business community and the base of the NDC than the
President. She is on her way to doing the impossible and we must give
her enormous credit for that.
The President, John Mills has his strengths too, does he? Well, choosing
him as the NDC's candidate in the next election will be like putting
the soil on NDC's grave. President Mills' style of running the country
makes building a bungalow today slower than building a cathedral in the
11th century. It is painfully slow and there is no storyline that will
get the country turning to him again.
Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings is promising an exciting new path for her
county and party. Unlike her challenger who is not hearing what
Ghanaians and his party are worried about, she will listen the injured
voices, the anxious voices that have despaired of being heard. She will
listen to those who have been left out and try to bring them in, and
those that are left behind, she will help them catch up.
Nana Konadu has demonstrated she has the courage and steeliness to take
risks and adopt uncomfortable positions. That is one of the many things
missing in our current leader.
She will restore the lost public trust in politics, promote job growth and do the
things that President Mills has ducked.
Delegates must be bold and vote overwhelmingly for her. A win for Konadu
Agyeman-Rawlings will be a win for the country. Perish the thought, if
Mills wins, Ghana loses - it would be a setback for women, a failure, a
rejection not only of Nana Konadu but of everything women stand for.
On delegates depend the fortunes of the NDC and Ghana. They are to decide the
important question on which rests the progress, happiness and unity of
our party and country.
They are to decide the happiness and
liberty of millions yet unborn. If they do the wrong thing, you betray
the memory of those who have given so much. It is their right and
responsibility to determine who leads our party. I pray they act worthy of themselves.
RAS MUBARAK
skype.com/ras.mubarak
