Deceiving Persons with Disability: The NPP’s scam knows no bound

The human spirit is one of ability, perseverance and courage that no disability can steal away. Even though people may have disabilities, that does not make them disabled in other ways. It gives them insight, knowledge and something that those without disability will never learn.

Persons with Disabilities (PWD) are no different from those without physical disabilities. They are equally intelligent and reasonable, hardworking, ambitious and forward looking. They deserve respect and must be credited with the intellect they deserve.

When you greet someone with a disability, greet them the same way you would anyone else. Speak to the person the way you would like to be spoken to, treat them with dignity and honour, and be respectful. It is discourteous, insensitive and disrespectful for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to seek to take advantage of PWDs in the society.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has set up a Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) secretariat at its Kokomlemle office to provide a meeting space for them in the quest to mobilising more votes ahead of the December 7 polls.

The initiative is to enable PWDs within the party to have a meeting space geared towards mobilising votes from the 1.6 million PWDs population nationwide in the upcoming General Election. That is it, just for votes sake. The deception of the NPP has no boundary.

Since when does the NPP started caring about the wellbeing of PWD? The NPP has only realised the existence of PWDs because of the impending elections. In the past 8 years, the NPP has not seen the need to set up a focal point to address, coordinate and attend to all “matters related to PWDs” as stated by Mr Stephen Ayesu Ntim who is the National Chairman of the ruling party until now.

Evidently, this is one of the deceptive tactics of the NPP borne out of their desperation to cling onto power beyond 2024 (perish the thought). This initiative is motivated by deceiving PWDs to gain their votes, but fortunately this will not wash.

If the NPP actually cared about PWDs, they would not have conceived the idea to close down all the toll booths across the country where some PWDs get their daily bread to be financially independent. They deliberately dispersed all the toll booths to render the PWDs unemployed and reliant on the meagre disability allowance of GHC300 a month.

The assertion by Mr Ntim that, “As a democratic party, we believe that this secretariat will empower and amplify the voices of all its members, especially persons living with disabilities” is deceptive, scam and mere political gimmick. The NPP has nothing good for PWDs.

Shamefully enough, the NPP has the temerity to emphasise on the importance of getting votes from PWDs without stating what they have done for them in the past and what they will do to enhance their lives going forward.

In 2013, Arunima Sinha reached the top of Mount Everest as the first female amputee to climb the highest mountain in the world. That is the zenith of exhibition of mental and physical strength, courage, determination and ambition.

PWDs must be treated with respect and dignity, they need opportunities to enhance their lives, and there should be policies to socially upgrade them to bring out the best in them rather than treat them as scroungers relying on the benevolence of society.

When former president John Dramani appointed a person with disability, Henry Siedu Daanaa as a Minister of Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs, it motivated a lot of PWDs in the society, it sent a signal that, society respects and value them.

The accomplishments of Dr. Christopher Adu Boahen who was unfortunately recently murdered and the emergence of Afari Duodoo (the blind historian) among others signifies that, PWDs are extremely intelligent and ambitious and meticulous. It is therefore shameful to see the NPP try to demean and explore them for political gains. This shameful act of deception must stop.