The Minority in Parliament has issued a strong call for the dismissal of Dr. Hanna Louisa Bisiw-Kotei and Malik Basintale over what it describes as an open endorsement of political violence during the recent Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun.
According to the Minority, the conduct of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Women’s Organiser and the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Agency is incompatible with public office and undermines Ghana’s democratic values.
This demand follows the violent incident on Friday, July 11, at the St. Peter’s Methodist Church polling station, where former Fisheries Minister Hawa Koomson was allegedly attacked by unidentified individuals. The incident caused a temporary halt in voting activities. While the situation was eventually brought under control, subsequent remarks from the two NDC officials have drawn outrage from opposition lawmakers.
Addressing a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, July 16, Atiwa West Member of Parliament Laurette Korkor described the statements by Dr. Bisiw and Mr. Basintale as reckless and dangerous. She referenced Dr. Bisiw’s comment in a recent interview—“violence begets violence”—as particularly irresponsible.
The Minority also criticized Basintale’s Facebook post in which he jokingly referred to one of the individuals involved in the chaos as the “Flying Python”, suggesting he would name him to a fictional “5K Airforce.”
“President Mahama must immediately dismiss Dr. Hanna Louisa Bisiw from her position as CEO of the Minerals Development Fund and Malik Basintale from his role as Acting CEO of the Youth Employment Agency,” the Minority stated. “Their celebration and justification of violence against opposition figures disqualifies them from holding any public office.”
The Minority warned that such conduct from public officials responsible for youth and women’s empowerment sends a troubling signal about the tolerance of violence in Ghana’s political space. They described the comments as a “new low” in political discourse and cautioned that failure to take action could embolden further acts of lawlessness. According to them, the statements not only contravene the ethics of public service but also threaten the stability of the country’s democratic order.
“Such statements from public officials charged with upholding the rule of law are fundamentally incompatible with democratic governance and constitute a direct threat to Ghana’s constitutional order,” the Minority concluded.
