NPP’s affirmative action plan stirs controversy

A move by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) to promote an affirmative action to encourage more female parliamentarians has stirred a controversy forcing the party to do a U-turn.

The party has explained that even though it was committed to the move, it would not force it down the throat of anyone, Nana Akomea, Director of Communications of the party told Joy FM on Tuesday.

At a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Monday, the party adopted a proposal for only female aspirants to contest the 16 female Members of Parliament in their respective constituencies.

The move, according to the party was to protect and ensure that more female parliamentarians were enrolled into the system.

However the move has ruffled feathers in and outside the party with some criticizing the policy as a “disaster” and “recipe for defeat”.

Some party members and political analysts have said there was an element of political risk to reserve the 16 seats for the women.

Even though aspirants like former Asokwa MP, Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah who was defeated by Madam Patricia Appiagyei for the Asokwa seat in 2012 would have loved to contest again, the new move by the party would bar him.

Mr Jumah himself has praised the affirmative move and resigned not to contest the seat again but Mr Abdullah Bonsu in the Awutu-Senya constituency in the Central region has kicked against the plan.

U-turn

In an interview with Accra based radio station, Joy FM on Tuesday, the Communications Director of the party, Nana Akomea said the party will only encourage male aspirants not to contest 16 seats held by female MPs explaining that the affirmative action policy will not be forced down anybody’s throat.

 “The important point is that, nobody will be barred from contesting a sitting female MP.....Nobody will be barred on the basis of gender” Nana Akomea told the Accra based radio station.

He said the policy was a “proposal” but was “adopted” by the National Executive Committee which will “try and make compromises” with aspirants bent on contesting female sitting MPs.

Nana Akomea said the policy was only to implement affirmative action plans “generally accepted” all over the world including Ghana.

He referred to the inability of the governing NDC to adhere to its own plans to reserve 40 per cent of political appointments for women.