Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey didn’t speak well - Counselor Lutterodt defends John Dumelo

Counsellor Lutterodt rebukes Ayorkor Shirley Botchwey for her derogatory comments towards John Dumelo’s parliamentary ambitions

Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey didn’t speak well - Counselor Lutterodt defends John Dumelo
John Dumelo

Counsellor Lutterodt has joined in the numerous voices that have been rebuking Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey for discrediting John Dumelo's parliamentary ambitions because of his acting pedigree.

The controversial marriage counsellor blasted the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, by pointing out that most of the events she has organised were made possible by the presence of the "so-called celebrities" she is now looking down on.

Ayokor Botchwey had earlier claimed that Actors and celebrities have no place in Parliament, as it is very serious business.

“Parliament is for serious-minded people and not people who have done some movies and think they are popular. It is a serious place; I will tell him; the laws of the country are enacted in parliament. If our President can continue his job very well, he needs Lydia Alhassan in Parliament to do the job so that all you need as a constituency will be easily given to you,”

Her comments have been met with fierce criticism from some industry players who expressed their collective disappointment that someone of her status would make such ignorant comments.

Arnold Asamoah-Baidoo was quick to sight the examples of Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger as prominent actors who successfully transitioned into politics.

“My biggest disappointment is the woman who made that comment because, in my estimation, I felt that the woman is really exposed and she is exposed, and if she is indeed with the creative arts industry as is being claimed here, then she made a lot of ignorant comments on that platform…"

"all over the world, people who are movie actors are popular, and as exposed as this woman is, she should have known that Ronald Reagan, when he contested for president, no one said because he is an actor no one should vote for him, nobody said Arnold Schwarzenegger because he is a movie actor and popular, no one should vote for him…” he said.

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Counsellor Lutterodt has added his voice, he cited the Year of Return as a major example.

He pointed out that many of the celebrities who came to the country to celebrate the event were movie stars and musicians whose popularity was what brought them into the country in the first place, and so it is unfortunate for the minister, whose ministry facilitated their coming to make such comments.

"…I am talking about the Minister for Foreign Affairs, when you were speaking you mentioned people who came to join us to celebrate the Year of Return, you gave us people who have been celebrated and they came to join us to celebrate us. The foreign Ministry alone attracted people who were also popular in Ghana. Stave Harvey and all the rest, it is their popularity that made them come to Year of return so if our Foreign Minister is saying Parliament is for serious business, not for popular people and movie star, in fact, that is the part I have issues with most”…he said.

He continued that there is nowhere in the constitution that says that a person cannot be a member of parliament because he is a movie star or popular, saying there have been many instances where people who ‘knew nothing’ had entered parliament and had learned and moved through the ranks to be good at making policies.

“So, what she said means John Dumelo being a movie star and popular alone does not qualify him to be in parliament but our constitution doesn’t say so. People have been in parliament who didn’t know anything but with time and training they are able to make meaning legislatures. The pedigree the minister has cannot be compared to John Dumelo, so when she stands on a political platform and makes such utterances, she didn’t speak well…”