Shame on you-Nana Oye Lithur

OPINION: That was part of the very strongly worded statement Nana Oye Lithur, the Minister for Gender and Social Welfare issued from her office when the NPP MP for Assin-North, Kennedy Agyapong made those disparaging remarks suggesting that EC Boss Charlotte Osei may have gotten her post after offering sexual favours. Clearly the remarks were foolish and many people condemned the MP, including me.



My friend Lydia Forson the actress had written about the 'selective activism' most of those that rose to the defence of Mrs Osei had exhibited. This was because a few weeks prior to this, the MP had been involved in a nasty public spat with controversial radio personality Afia Schwarzenegger with the latter bearing the brunt of it.

Women of Ghana will not countenance such comments and personal attacks
on women who have committed to serve Ghana in public office. You are in Public Office and should promote non-discrimation, respect for human dignity and gender equality by your comments and conduct”.
Nana Oye Lithur and the cohort of female begging MPs and Ministers and all did not find it necessary at the time to whisper a word of support.

A friend yelled on Facebook that "you can't call a THREAT to RAPE made at any woman let a alone the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana an act of free speech. Let's not trivialize the issue in the name of free speech. I won't take it lightly if you threatened to rape my daughter, sister or female colleague and I don't expect the state to take it lightly too. We need to educate our young men to understand that rape is one of the most cruel things you can ever do to a woman and not something you should dwell on for pride. All is not well with you if you can think and publicly talk about raping someone. I will suggest these guys are given some psychological attention while serving their jail term at Nsawam".

You get the drift? May I paraphrase;

Now, three members of the ruling government, one pretending to be a journalist and the others social commentators, threaten to rape and kill Justices of the Supreme Court;  the Chief Justice, a woman and the 4th most important person in this country is singled out by these three. After a court finds them duly guilty, Nana Oye Lithur shows up to join a charade collating signatures in some politically motivated manoeuvre that seeks to have the President release the men because Oye Lithur and her friends feel a four month incarceration is too excessive for the criminal contempt crime which had a side serving of threat of death and rape.

Nana Oye Lithur and her ministry issued a statement condemning Ken Agyapong for suggesting that Charlotte Osei may not have gained her post by merit but by sleeping with people in high places.

But now, the Minister herself turns up to sign a petition calling her boss, the President, to release three young men duly punished by law for threatening to rape and kill the Chief Justice? The fourth most important person in Ghana who also happens to be a woman is denigrated, insulted, her life is threatened, her office is rubbished by these boys and she, the Minister for Gender and Social Welfare shows up to sign a petition calling for the President to release these same guys? Isn't this preposterous?

Why am I picking on her out of the many hundreds of people who wish to see the three out?

I will tell you.

• She has showed obvious bias in doing a job where the state should be paramount and not political parties.
• She has a history of being a human rights fighter and human rights advocates do not discriminate on human beings - once a person's rights are trampled upon the rise, irrespective of party.
• It was bad enough that her ministry didn't find it prudent enough to condemn the vile comments of the three, in fact four if you add John Oti Bless or Bless Oti John or Oti Bless John or whatever way the name is pronounced; but to go on to call for their release flues in the face of common sense and human empathy.
• She's a lawyer and she should know better.

Speaking of knowing better, a purported advise lifted from a pro-NDC Whatsapp Group and attributed to Tony Lithur, one of the President's trusted lawyers and husband to Nana Oye Lithur clearly spelt out the foolhardy nature of the clemency call. But for whatever reason, that has been discarded  and the charade continues.

Those who are in the privileged position of leadership must learn to place the interests of this nation above all others. Partisanship is killing us and it is sad that people who clearly must know better are leading a large group of people who without any disrespect may not understand what's going in, into such a situation where public good and decency has been thrown to the dogs and all we care about now, are our political parties and nothing else.