Ghana disability organization pushes for a person with a disability to be name a government minister

From AllAfrica.com:

The Disability Network is urging President John E. Atta-Mills to fulfill his promise of forming an all-inclusive government by giving at least one deputy ministerial position to a person with disability (PWD).

Members of the network are of the view that such an appointment is overdue. A few weeks ago, a delegation of the disability movement, called on the President at the castle and tabled a number of requests including the appointment of PWDs as ministers.

With the President already naming substantive ministers, the disability movement has turned its attention to the few deputy ministerial nominations yet to be made; bearing in mind that a list of 23 deputy minister designates was released over the weekend.

At its first meeting for 2009 held in Accra on Tuesday, members of the Disability Network felt the need to rehash their call. Mr. Emmanuel Sackey, Communications Officer of the Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD), noted that it was regrettable that no PWD was named among the ministers or their designated deputies.

Mr. Alexander Kojo Tetteh, Executive Director of the Centre for Employment of Persons with Disabilities, agrees with Mr. Sackey but adds that the appointment is even more warranted by the President's own acclaimed commitment towards all-inclusiveness.

"I think the time has come because we are talking about all-inclusive government," he told Public Agenda.

He indicated that such an appointment will ensure that the marginalized forms part of the decision making process. "That individual will bring more support to disability issues."

The opinion of Mr Charles Appiagyei, acting Executive Director of Action on Disability and Development (ADD) was that the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) "has long expressed interest in persons with disabilities once expressed, they must live it."

If appointed as minister, a PWD will give better representation to issues raised by the GFD and its member organizations, as well as their affiliates, he pointed out. Mr. Appiagyei added that a minister who is disabled "will serve as a role model and bring inclusion."

He said PWDs are a set of heterogeneous people and cut across various facets of the society - they are women, men, children, employed, unemployed, educated, uneducated, etc. - therefore, such an appointment can positively affect many lives.

"PWDs have a constituency that can be leveraged," he stated.

Miss Rita Kyeremaa Kusi, Executive Director of GFD, also shared the view that disability was a cross-cutting issue. She said the disability movement was still hopeful that a PWD would be appointed among deputy ministers.

On his part, Mr. Joseph Adu-Boampong, the First Vice President of the GFD, said PWDs could better present their issues through a minister who is disabled because he would have fellow-feeling.

"I believe that PWDs will be able to speak better for PWDs," according to Mr. Humphrey Kofie, Conmmunity Programmes Coordinator of BasicNeeds-Ghana.

In his view also, "It is time that they (PWDs) took the mantle themselves." He adds that PWDs will feel more comfortable channeling their concerns through one of their own.