A member of the Ghanaian Delegation to the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), Honorable Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka has commended female members of the PAP for wearing African attire.
He made this statement during a debate of the PAP Activity Report at the ongoing 4th Ordinary Session of the Fifth Parliament held on Wednesday May 26, 2021 in Midrand, South Africa.
“In the Activity Report, we talk about the history and oral tradition of Africa. When you talk about tradition it is not just about your language, what you eat, and what you wear. Let me say, brothers and sisters in Africa, if you look at this Chamber, I must commend the women. If you enter here and look at the women, you will see true Africans,” he stated.
This comment was greeted with resounding applause from the Floor, however, Hon. Muntaka said: “Unfortunately, many of us the men, I know it is a habit, let us try to inculcate the habit of wearing African dress because that is what will reflect, so when you come and see that PAP is sitting you will see the reflection of Africa in us.”
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Hon. Muntaka concluded his point by underscoring that he knows that it is difficult for many of the participants not to be wearing suits cautioning that, “but remember the more suits that you buy you are employing others outside the Continent. If you wear more African dress you are empowering the Africans.”
On the issue of ratification of the rotation of presidency resolution, he said the time for real action is now and suggested that “the real action is that I am suggesting that yes we will welcome and swear you in, but to be able to be elected in any of the Bureau, whether Committee or Region or at the helm of affairs, your country must ratify. If we do that it is going to put pressure on all of us to ensure that our countries ratify the treaty. Because if you just come and your country has not ratified the Malabo Treaty and you are chairing Committee or a Vice-chair, what will motivate you to put pressure on your country to ratify”.
On the issue of African unity, Hon. Muntaka said the complaint of no unity by MPs can only be addressed with equity and fairness.
“We have been here, this is the seventeenth year of PAP and we sit and North Africa, South Africa Caucuses have not been able to lead. No Portuguese have been able to lead this Caucus, No Arab has been able to lead this Caucus and you talk about unity, you are just deceiving yourself. We don’t need ratification before we start implementing rotation. We must allow rotation to happen, that is when you empathize with me, you have my feeling, you know I also matter but if all of it is about you and you then turn around and say let us have unity, who are you deceiving. You are just deceiving yourself because you only care about yourself. You are steeping on my toe and you are telling me just keep quiet, the quiet will bring peace, there can never be peace without justice and therefore I want to urge us, we have had a woman president, we have had a president from West Africa, Central Africa, and East, I think in fairness we need to give the opportunity to the North and South and another time a Portuguese to be able to lead, that is when we can have peace .”
He concluded his submission by saying that the opposite of love is not hatred but indifference, just sitting unconcerned.
“You claim you love PAP don’t just keep quiet when injustice is going on, that is what is love,” Hon. Muntaka said.
By Melvin Tejan Mansaray