NDC MP advocates journalism for disabled award

By Ebenezer Hanson

As a measure to motivate and inspire journalists to focus on the rather important but long neglected issues of Persons with Disability (PWDs), the NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for the Abokobi/ Madina, Hon. Alhaji Amadu Bukari Sorogho, has avowed that he will support any move for the institution of an annual journalism for the disabled award.

He observed that journalism practice in Ghana has been skewed towards politics to the detriment of social issues like health, education, issues of the disabled and sanitation, but it is high time media practice witnessed a paradigm shift to deal with these issues.

“I’m prepared to initiate a yearly award for journalism that focuses on issues of Persons with Disabilty(PWDs) as a means of motivation. They constitute an important segment of the society and the media must give them equal attention.”

Hon. Sorogho was answering questions at the last and fourth joint Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and the Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD) Debate for Parliamentary aspirants for the Abokobi/ Madina seat at Madina. The other participant was Hon. Abdulai Baba Zakaria, NPP candidate and Presiding Member (PM) of the Ga East Municipal Assembly.

The event was dubbed “Promoting Issue-based Campaign” for election 2008, and moderated by Mr. Charles Ayamdoo, Director, Anti-corruption, CHRAJ and Mr. Angel Carbonu of NAGRAT.

Besides the intended award, which some members of the audience described as auspicious, Hon. Sorogho he would consult the various disabled groups to acquaint himself with the magnitude of their challenges and do his best to assist them. To this end, he urged the GEMA to gather data on the PWDs that would be readily and easily accessible in the scheme of things for the disabled.

Hon. Sorogho disclosed that since he became an MP, he had managed to lobby for the improvement of the water supply network and this has yielded appreciable results in the rural communities of the constituency. He, nonetheless, admitted that there is more to be done for the urban areas.

On women representation, he denounced any attempt to introduce a law that will provide for what he calls “a blanket 50% women representation” to elective positions. “The important thing is to create equal opportunities for women to tap their potential to the full,” he stressed.

Hon. Baba Zakaria promised that if gets the nod of his constituents; he would assist the PWDs to access their two percent share of the District Assembly Common Fund, which hitherto has almost remained elusive (DACF).

He assured the constituents that he would apply his Common Fund to the development of education by giving scholarships to brilliant but needy students. He also promised to tackle frontally the refuse situation of the constituency.

He observed that “election is not war but about choices” and advised his constituents not to allow themselves to be lured by politicians to engage in violence before, during and after the elections.

The moderators had a real tough time controlling the audience who were sharply divided into NPP and NDC. They kept either applauding or booing at the candidates any time, they responded to a question disregarding the persistent appeals from moderators to discontinue the practice.