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The Case of Appiah Ofori … A
Morale Crusade Gone Too Far
By Gideon Sackitey, ACCRA
Over the weekend, a news story broke out. I decided not to
talk or
say anything about it until some comments emerged. The news
was that Mr
P.C. Appiah Ofori, NPP Member of Parliament for Asikuma/Odoben/Brakwa,
who had received an award a few days earlier for exhibiting
among
others Good Leadership qualities, was found to be involved
in bigamy!
That he had taken in a new woman into his house,
engaged her, and
has pushed his
wife of 23-years, with whom
he has three children, into
one corner of their home.
According to his first wife who
broke the news to the state owned Daily
Graphic, this infidelity by her husband
has been going on for the
last 11 years! They actually have three
children, all adults.
The story came to light when Mr Ofori had a picture with his
mistress
published in the media as his MISSUS.
A day later, Mr Ofori was found to be explaining himself
away. That
his wife of 23
years, whom he had “banished” to one end of his
house, had been unfaithful and had contracted gonorrhea;
perhaps that
was why he abandoned her!
At this point I was mad! I became
so incensed that I wondered what
kind of man this guy could be? How could a man hate his own
wife so much
that he could stand in public,
insult and attach his wife to
such an unfortunate disease?
Instantly, on all the radio
stations, tongues started wagging in condemnation of
Mr Ofori and why not? A man who
could do such a thing, despicable by all Ghanaian standards.
Female journalists in my office and in other places were
equally
incensed.
This is how I saw the whole thing. Mr Ofori is known to be a
moralist
crusader who has had a very big whip on his colleagues in
Parliament
and in his party. He has taken very strong and independent
positions on
issues and subjects that his colleagues and party has taken
contrary
views on. Indeed, sometimes he has actually embarrassed the
party with
his comments.
Is it any wonder, some people are saying that the recent
outburst of
infidelity pouring out into the public was engineered by his
opponents
in his own party?
The fact is this that Mr Ofori may have his own problems with
his
wife, I mean his first wife. But this does not give him the
license to subject to such public
humiliation. This is what I mean:
Every human being at one time or the other have or
will have a disease or the other.
They then seek medical help and attention and move on. Does
that make them any less than others?
My point is that does this make people they live with, their
wives or
husbands as in this case, any better? The other question is
how would
Mr Ofori feel if he were in his
wife’s shoes?
Let’s not be caught on the wrong side. Many Ghanaians,
sometimes
members of the opposition on the floor of Parliament, have
appreciated Mr
Ofori’s morale crusades. More so,
when he hastaken on his
colleagues,
party and government on serious and damning
controversial matters. But this
time, I think he got it all wrong. We are all but human.
Gideon Sackitey, ACCRA, September 19, 2007, Ghanadot
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