I watched Mahama Ayariga on the floor of parliament exhibition shameless ignorance of our Ghanaian Akan customs, and objectionable insensitivity to the family of the late NPP MP for Akwatia, the Hon. Ernest Yaw Kumi
In a our Akan customs and practice, particularly when the said Akan isn’t of the Islamic faith, the family members, upon receipt of a death certificate from a medical officer, meet to plan the funeral arrangements.
First, is the date for the one-week observation, during which the date for the burial is made known. And it is when this has happened that the official announcement, together with burial arrangements can be communicated.
It is at this point that the family head of the late Ernest Yaw Kumi can, through writing, officially, communicate to parliament through the Clark. This official communication will be backed by death cert and funeral arrangements.
Until this Akan customs have been thoroughly carried through by the family of the deceased, nobody has the right to go ahead trumpeting the demise of anybody, particularly, when it comes to within circles of parliament.
So, for Mahama Ayariga to stand on the floor of parliament to declare Ernest Yaw Kumi dead, demand that his seat be declared vacant and a date for by-election announced, to say the least, amounted to egregious insanity.
You’re not a family member of the departed MP but taken it upon yourself to officially declare him dead and demanding for by-election because you visited the family home and heard the news of his passing. Very stupid!!
As the Majority leader of the august House of Ghana’s legislature, Mahama Ayariga was ignorantly blaming the Clark of Parliament for not writing to the Speaker about the death of the MP, just upon visiting the family.
This goes to cement the fact that, indeed, Ghana’s parliament is populated, largely, by crass ignoramuses who never engage in sensible, productive and progressive debate, but crassly cacophonous tomfoolery.
WHY HAS THE NAME “AYARIGA” BECOME SYNANIMOUS WITH FOOLHARDINESS IN GHANA? IT IS SOMETHING I HAVE BEEN WONDERING ABOUT FOR AGES, AND IT APPEARS MY DILEMMA ISN’T ENDING.
Justice A. Newton-Offei
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