Minority Demands Dismissal of Bisiw and Basintale Over Ablekuma North Violence
The Minority in Parliament has strongly criticized Dr. Hanna Louisa Bisiw-Kotei, National Women’s Organiser of the NDC, and Malik Basintale, Acting CEO of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), accusing them of endorsing and celebrating the violence that marred the Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun.
Their condemnation follows the violent events of Friday, July 11, during which former Fisheries Minister Hawa Koomson was allegedly assaulted by unknown individuals at the St. Peter’s Methodist Church polling station. The incident briefly halted voting before calm was restored.
Speaking to the press in Accra on Wednesday, July 16, Laurette Korkor, MP for Atiwa West, urged President Mahama to take swift action by relieving both Dr. Bisiw and Basintale of their duties.
“President Mahama must act decisively by removing Dr. Hanna Louisa Bisiw from her role as CEO of the Minerals Development Fund and Malik Basintale from the Youth Employment Agency. Their support and rationalization of political violence make them unfit for public office. Their removal is necessary to show that the government stands firmly against political violence,” the Minority insisted.
They condemned the statements made by the two NDC executives as a disgraceful low point in the nation’s political dialogue.
They highlighted a recent interview in which Dr. Bisiw-Kotei remarked, “violence begets violence,” describing it as an extremely troubling justification of the incident at Ablekuma North.
The Minority also cited a Facebook post by Basintale, in which he mockingly praised a man allegedly involved in preventing Hawa Koomson from further using pepper spray, calling him the “Flying Python” and humorously suggesting he be appointed to lead a fictional “5K Airforce.”
The Minority argued that such behavior is unacceptable from public servants entrusted with the welfare of youth and the empowerment of women, warning that it endangers the principles of democratic governance.
“These two individuals are senior members of President Mahama’s administration, and their inflammatory statements erode confidence in our democratic institutions. Their words encourage lawlessness and send a dangerous message that the ruling party condones and even celebrates violence.
“Such utterances from officials who are supposed to uphold the law undermine democratic values and pose a serious risk to the constitutional framework of Ghana,” the Minority emphasized.
