The Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations (GFD) was established in 1987 as a national umbrella of organizations for persons with disabilities with full legal status under Ghana’s laws.
The goal of GFD is to mobilize persons with disabilities to provide a unified front for influencing national policies and promoting the participation of all persons with disabilities in society.
However, according to the Federation, the 15 municipal and district assemblies in the Upper East Region are not recognizing the GFD organization during the appointments of assembly members across the region.
As confirmed by the Dean of Presiding Members in the Upper East Region, John Apaabey, according to the law governing the appointments of assembly members, one of the appointees must be a person with a disability.
But speaking on the issue, the Upper East Regional President of the Ghana Federation of Disabilities, Mark Akubire Atiah, said that none of these appointees across the 15 assemblies are members of or represent the interests of GFD. As a result, the voices and concerns of the association are consistently silent in the assemblies, which should not be the case.
Mr. Akubire stated that the assemblies always fail to consult the GFD during these appointments because they prefer to appoint people who will not present issues that are of concern to persons with disabilities and the organization.
“If you go to some of the assemblies, indeed, you see persons with disabilities there, but they do not represent our interests. They appoint some people without involving us or consulting our district leaders or the association, and most of the people they have appointed to represent us in the various assemblies are not members of our organization. So, they go there with the interest as persons or political supporters or sympathizers but not people with disabilities organization.”
The regional president of the GFD calls on the authorities at the various assemblies to always consult the district-level executives of the Federation before concluding on a person with a disability who can well represent the GFD as a government appointee.
The association also laments what they describe as discrimination among its members in the region.
Source: A1Radioonline.Com | 101.1MHZ | David Azure | Bolgatanga |
