Three women for vice presidential slot

Saturday, October 25, 2008 (The Mirror Pg 12)

By Rebecca Kwei
When political parties started choosing presidential candidates and running mates, many women activists advocated that women should be selected for such positions.
Perhaps, the People’s National Convention (PNC) could be described as a ‘listening’ party since it has selected a woman, Petra Maria Amegashie, a 49-year-old evangelist as the running mate to the party’s flagbearer, Dr Edward Mahama.
“It was a sense of awe and humbling experience when I got to know I had been selected. The first thing that popped out of my mouth was ‘To God be the glory’, she told The Mirror in an interview.
About a fortnight ago, Petra was in the news that she wanted to run for President as an independent candidate so why the turn around?
According to Petra she took the decision to run for president because she felt a divine calling to do something for her country and felt very strongly that it was about time Ghana had a female at the highest office of the land but after several consultations and having followed Dr Mahama’s political activities she decided to partner him.
She insists “I have not settled for second place and I am not playing second fiddle. I and the PNC, and for that matter, Dr Mahama are joining forces to face the challenge”.
Of course there are big challenges ahead but Petra believes she is up to the task.
She indicated that she was aware of the political terrain and the fact that it had not been too friendly to women but she was ready to face the challenges.
She said she wanted to renew the Ghanaian spirit and sense of purpose as well as unify the country.
She said she represented a voice for women, children, the youth and the disadvantaged in society.
Although she did not give concrete plans on what she would do in the area of women empowerment, Petra only said empowering women will be by example since the PNC’s manifesto has it that 50 per cent of cabinet ministers will be women and also her selection sends strong signals.
She said the PNC was committed to gender empowerment and mainstreaming of gender issues into politics and national policy.
She appealed to women to stand up and be counted, believe in themselves and showcase their values. “Politics is not a man’s world. After all it is women who give birth to men,” she added.
As an evangelist, Petra does not see any conflict with her present role as a politician.
In fact she says God enjoins all Christians to be ‘the salt of the earth and light of world’ and she believes her new political role will help her to brighten the corner wherever she was.
She said her Christian values will come to bear in all that she does which will impact positively on the nation.
Born on September 4, 1959 in Dzodze in the Volta Region to the late Togbe Amegashie Apeku III and Agnes Amegashie, Petra attended Keta Convent School and then to the Ola and Tema Secondary Schools for her secondary education.
Growing up, Petra said she wanted to be a nun but that goal did not materialise.
She did her national service with the Ghana News Agency in Tema from 1986 to 1987.
She also worked with the Novotel Hotel in Accra and also undertook an evangelisation course at the School of Evangelisation in Takoradi in the Western Region of Ghana.
Apart from evangelising, Petra also had brief stints working with the Standard Newspaper, the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) and Bayswater Contract Mining.
Petra has a son, Peter Quarshigah, a fresh graduate from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Some political analysts have observed that the selection of a female running mate by the PNC will win the party some votes but certainly not the December 7 elections.
But Petra is not perturbed. She says the chances of the PNC are very bright. “The PNC stands for change — real change from the usual way of doing things, from the notion that women are not ready for the highest political office,” she added.

Ms Rosemond Abraham

Ms Rosemond Abraham, a Cape Coast-based business woman has been chosen by the Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD), as the running mate of the party’s presidential candidate, Mr Kwabena Adjei.
Her selection came 24 hours after the People’s National Convention (PNC) had selected Petra Amegashie as the running mate of Dr Edward Mahama.
Ms Abraham who until her selection was the Women’s Organiser of the RPD, said she was well groomed to partner the flag bearer of the party to victory because of my passion for women.
She said the urgency to get more women involved in the development of the country had become more crucial now than before and indicated that her selection was in recognition of that fact.
“I’m aware that women are a formidable force to reckon with in national development and I will not fail,” Ms Abraham added.
She called on the electorate to vote for the RPD and gave the assurance that under her leadership, and with the support of Mr Adjei, women would be seen at the forefront of many issues in the country “because it is through this that we will see real growth”.
On health, she said doctors and nurses had been demotivated under the NPP administration and pledged her desire to ensure that that sector, which dealt with the health of the nation, was given the needed attention.
Ms Abraham also expressed her resolve to end the challenges that teachers went through.
“Our teachers have suffered for far too long and that is why we have experienced many strikes by them,” she said, and pledged to end that pattern.
She said the RPD was in to win the election and would not toy with its chances, adding, “I will put in my all to ensure a resounding victory that will surprise many.”
Born to Mr Kwaku Agyapong, Kyidomhene of Mampong and Madam Adwoa Konadu on July 31, 1968, Ms Abraham describes herself as a courageous, self-driven, inspiring and passionate about the plight of women, children and the vulnerable in society.
She attended Toase Secondary School in the Ashanti Region and a dental technician course at Bennette Hospital, Accra.
A native of Asante Mampong and resident in Cape Coast, Ms Abraham has two children.

Patience Ameku

Ms Patience Ami Ameku is the vice-presidential aspirant of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) for Election 2008. The 61-year-old chubby-faced and exuberant politician hails from Mafi-Sasekpe in the North Tongu District in the Volta Region.She was the District Chief Executive for Kadjebi from 1983 to 1993.
Mrs Ameku who believes she is a born politician has since then been in politics. In 1996, she ran as an independent parliamentary candidate for North Tongu, and was determined now to go to parliament as an independent candidate until she was invited to become the running mate of the DFP flag bearer, Mr Emmanuel Ansah-Antwi.
“I naturally like politics as it gives me the opportunity to serve people. Although there have been other females selected as vice-presidential aspirants for their political parties before me in Ghana’s history, I believe I am going to make a difference,” she said.
The DFP vice-presidential aspirant said she was very much concerned with pushing forward the agenda for industrialisation when she got into government, particularly the aspect of adding value to agri-products.
“When this is done, it will be possible to feed industries with produce and at the same time employ more people on the farms to work continuously to feed the factories. The outcome is that there will be more money in everyone’s pocket so that the situation where some people have and others do not, is avoided,” she said.
With regard to education, the one-time DCE, now a DFP kingpin, is of the view that structures must be in place and efforts made to retain girls in school.
She believes that if girls are early on in life introduced to mathematics and science, they will grow to like the subjects. She finds it unacceptable that only a few girls in school went ahead to do technology-based courses and professions in the university.
Ms Ameku said her aspirations as a politician found convergence with the liberal ideals put forward in the manifesto of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), and that she sees her new position as very challenging.
“As a woman in politics there have been many challenges, including social, economic and financial difficulties but I have never wavered. Ever since I began politics, my supporters have stood with me because they believe that one day there will be light at the end of the tunnel and would prosper through the creation of jobs ,” she said
According to her, it was important that the vice-president had a close and harmonious relationship with the president. They must understand each others feelings or ideas and communicate well if their tenure of office was to be successful.
She said if the DFP won the election she would bring to the table as a vice-president an ethic of hard work and sincerity, and carry all on board to make sure that the work gets done.
She said based on Article 24 of the country’s constitution that talks about the right to work, the DFP would harness agriculture to support industrialisation in order to create jobs for the people.
“While men look at the big picture, women concern themselves with the nitty-gritty and make sure to fill in the gaps in order to make the picture much clearer,” she said, smiling.
Ms Patience Ameku was born at Mafi-Sasepke in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region on April 12, 1947 to the late Herbert Tamekloe Ameku and Madam Cecilia Yemexor Kudze.
She had her primary and middle school education at Mafi-Sasekpe and Mafi-Anfoe respetively after which she continued to the EP Training College at Amedzope.
By dint of hard work she studied privately for her ‘O’ and ‘A’ Level GCE exams, passed and entered the University of Ghana in 1979 and graduated in 1982 with BA Hons, having majored in English.
Ms Ameku is married to Mr Victor Akude with whom she has four children, three girls and a boy.