It is not every day you wake up to news trending of how the daughter of one of the most powerful politicians in Ghana was scolded for making claims without evidence and so when I heard, I quickly looked for the video on Facebook. It was brutal.
Paul Adom-Otchere, arguably the most controversial journalist on TV, had stumbled on an interview of Dr. Zanetor Rawlings, MP for Klottey Korley and daughter of the badass Jerry John Rawlings, former president of Ghana and the Godfather of the 4th Republican constitution. Dr. Rawlings alleged in that video that the food the government was sharing to the poor and vulnerable due to the COVID-19 lockdown, was being done along party lines.
According to the MP, people were being asked to produce NPP membership cards (by inference because she did not state which party card was being asked for) before they were given food. That suggests that those who failed to produce membership cards were turned away from receiving food purchased with tax-payer cedis.
Now, you will think Paul went too far and you are right, he did but think about this for a minute: we are in a pandemic. The economy has been shut down due to COVID-19 and people, whether they belong to one party or another are desperate. Do you really think this is the time for any government to distribute food and essential supplies based on political considerations? If this is true, it will not only mean the government is inconsiderate but also the people will have cause to revolt.
Before you make such allegations, you must readily prove it. This is not the sort of allegation you make in the spare of the moment. This is the sort that demands a press conference with all the evidence to hold the government to account and defend the rights of citizens.
Paul went too far but he was absolutely right in asking for proof.
Dr. Rawlings is one of the few people in NDC who stand a good chance to get to a higher office in the government. She can even be president one day because she’s coming directly from the ruling class. We will have to make sure that her politics is above board at least to the extent that her father did his politics devoid of unproven allegations.
This will not sink her. No. JJ’s daughter is way too big to be stopped by a blip especially if she is able to prove as she has indicated but no one much less parliament should hound Paul Adom-Otchere for doing his job.
The minority in parliament may be acting instinctively by defending one of their own but they have to now consider providing evidence that the government is sharing food based on party colors. Their focus should not be on the journalist asking questions and trying to correct the MP no matter the amount of bad blood between the two.
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