News
‘Lack of respect threat to blind community’
A visually impaired retired Public Servant has said that lack of social etiquette by some family members posed a serious challenge to the blind community.
According to her, some disparaging remarks from family members with regard to their condition had deprived some physically challenged persons of wives and husbands.
“Contemptible remarks from family members of potential spouses is robbing the blind community of quality men and women.
“Sickness or illness does not discriminate and can attack anybody at any point in times: It is inevitable”.
Speaking in an interview with The Spectator on condition of anonymity last Saturday, the retiree disclosed that she was not blind at the time of marriage but was struck by sickness resulting in her predicament.
“No one knows what tomorrow brings in life so let us love one another and be each other’s keeper. What has happened to me can happen to anyone because blindness is not sold for people to buy,” she said.
She observed over the years that some families would go every length to discourage their members from marrying blind people because they felt they were not good marriage material.
She said it was important to accord persons who had lost their sight the respect and dignity they deserved like all humans.
The retired public servant stated that some families used various means namely emotional blackmail, threats even to the extent of disowning them and leaving some of the people with no choice but to abandon the thought of marrying a blind person.
She said it was disheartening that these physically challenged were men and women who were responsible and gainfully employed with other enviable qualities but just because they had lost their sight, they were not given a chance to get married to their preferred partners.
She pointed out that even in the case of blind men, it was better as compared with blind women, who sometimes found it very difficult to get husbands.
She said some blind women had to settle with some blind men or give up completely on marriage to prevent any inconvenience from the family and friends of their potential spouses.
She said such rigid stance by the society was unfortunate and not doing anybody any good and therefore appealed for a change in behaviour explaining that people should be judged on their potentials not their physical disabilities because some people might not be physically challenged but could be the worse spouses.
She gave a reminder that even sighted people asked for help to manage their homes and take care of their families so the case of the disabled persons should not be seen as something that was out of the ordinary if they also asked for help.
From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Tema.
Member of Parliament for Kpandai constituency, Matthew Nyindam, has argued that he would have defeated the National Democratic Congress candidate if a rerun election had been held, insisting that his loss was a battle against the power of the state rather than a fair contest.
Nyindam explained that his legal challenge to the 2024 parliamentary election was based on irregularities in four polling stations.
He noted that his team expected the court to address those specific concerns, not to order a fresh election across the entire constituency.
According to him, the decision to rerun the election confirmed what he described as a long standing pattern of unfair conduct by the NDC in Kpandai.
He added that he anticipated the chance to appeal the ruling but was surprised when Parliament later declared his seat vacant.
Nyindam stressed that the declaration of the seat left him feeling unfairly treated.
He maintained that he won the election clearly and believed the process that followed was aimed at removing him from Parliament prematurely.
He further stated that the situation turned into a contest between himself and the state.
He explained that running against the full weight of government made the election difficult, as ministers, MPs, chief executives and other officials were actively involved in campaigning, with resources flowing into the constituency.
Despite these challenges, Nyindam expressed confidence in his political strength, stating that under normal circumstances he would have beaten his opponent comfortably.
He added that he ultimately left the outcome in the hands of God, believing that destiny would determine whether he returned to Parliament.
Nyindam concluded that although the experience was painful, he believes it will serve a greater purpose in his political journey.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, known as Chairman Wontumi, has admitted that the party did not achieve its desired results in the Ashanti Region during the 2024 general election but maintained that the region remained the party’s strongest support base.
Addressing the media after a post election review, Wontumi said the party quickly set up a regional committee to investigate the reasons for the loss and to propose solutions.
He explained that a subcommittee was tasked to study what went wrong and recommend ways to improve future performance.
According to him, the committee’s report highlighted both the party’s mistakes and areas that need improvement.
He noted that the party has taken lessons from the findings and is ready to make changes.
Wontumi stressed that he learns quickly and is committed to applying the recommendations.
He emphasized that despite not meeting expectations, votes from the Ashanti Region significantly contributed to the party’s overall national performance.
He explained that the region pushed the party to the final figures it recorded in the 2024 election and still produced more votes than any other region.
Wontumi added that a post mortem of the results would show that the Ashanti Region performed better than others, even though the party fell short of its target.
He described the region’s effort as commendable.
He said the party now understands what voters in the Ashanti Region expect and assured them that the NPP will engage them better and work to meet their needs in future elections.
By: Jacob Aggrey
