Accra, Dec 24, GNA - Mr Abdul Malik Jeleel, the Chairman of the Adentan Constituency of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), has urged elected assembly members to use their mandate to protect the rights of minorities in their various communities.
He said one of the critical functions of the Assembly members was to maintain frequent liaison with organised productive economic groupings and other persons in the District hence the need to pay attention to that function.
The minorities mean people with special needs and those who are discriminated against in society, and have no access to public and private institutions, maltreated and chaining of mental illness persons.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview, Mr Jeleel stated that the protection of minorities in society had the backing of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities by the United Nations.
In 2013, he said Ghana placed below average on the Failed State Index scoring 4.9/10.0 when measured against the variables of Tolerance and Inclusion, and Discrimination and violence against minorities.
Mr Jeleel said, most incumbent assembly members lost their vote as a result of lack of confidence by the minorities who forms the strong interest group in district assembly elections and advised all newly elected to pay attention to the these special groups.
Nationally, he appealed to the government to take steps to promote the rights of the minorities’ people through our local governance.
Mr Jeleel said, the abolition of the referendum to amend the article 55(1) to allow district assembly elections to be partisan was a step in the right direction in accelerating the realisation of the minorities or indigenous rights, which assembly members were at the core centre of its implementation.
GNA
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