Yesterday, Francisca Oteng-Mensah, a 22-year old young woman made headlines for beaten the incumbent MP of the Kwabre East Constituency in the Ashanti Region in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primary to become the eventual winner…
She is set to contest the next general elections to become a parliamentarian in the above mentioned constituency—and this has opened a worm hole of discussions on social media, with many people arguing that she is ‘inexperienced’ and too young to become a legislator.
Before, I jump to look at Francisca Oteng-Mensah’s case as nothing peculiar in the world of politics, let me mention that I prefer a 22 year-old inexperience young woman with enough reasoning power to be in a Ghanaian parliament—compared to that old empty legislator who recently said women who commit adultery should be stoned in contemporary Ghana.
The United States has several under 23 legislators—with Saira Blair, 18 years, being one of them. In 2014, Blair made headlines when the young Republican fresher at the West Virginia University won a seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates.
In the recent UK’s general election, Mhairi Black, a 20-year-old Scottish student who was studying for her final exams at university won the “Paisley and Renfrewshire South seat from Labour heavyweight and former shadow foreign secretary-Douglas Alexander to become the youngest MP since 1667”.
In 2010, Wyatt Roy won the federal seat of Longman in Austrulia at the age of 20—and became the youngest MP.
As far back as 2002, Anna Luhrmann, 19 at the time became the youngest MP in Europe when she took a seat for the Greens in the German parliament…
Even in Africa, Proscovia Oromait was 19 when she became a member of parliament in Uganda and remains the youngest MP Africa has ever had.
There are several under 25 legislators all around the world, especially in America—and they’ve done great as representatives of their people.
So what is the whole talk about experience and age in relation to Francisca Oteng-Mensah who has secured a ticket, capable of becoming the youngest parliamentarian in Ghana?
I will reiterate that, such energetic and young brains who can at least reason are far better than the many sleeping men who have taken all the seats in our parliament. I don’t want even want to talk about those who sincerely believe women are inferior and they deserve to be stoned.
Give us a break with the ageism…
I am never one to comment on issues but i guess based on your assessment, this is my two cents worth…..I am a proud Ghanaian and have had the pleasure of having my education in our “esteemed” universities. The problem in my estination is not the age….our universitites and mode of education does not mentally prepare an individual to hold such positions so unfortunately, what we are going to see is a girl who will be dictated to all throughout her tenure
Maame, i like your point plus the talks of the delegates being in the pockets of her rich dad. Chris, if you are comparing Ghana politics to those of the advanced world, you are only comparing apples to oranges. Because, these advanced nations have all their priorities set right and also have access to all basic human amneties such as clean water, electricity, good schools, housing, wages, benefits whereas our nation is fighting from going HIPC again. On that note, if we are to bounce back then we need competent, wisdom, transparent, accountable, tempered etc leaders and not young and unexperienced again just like what we have in our current government now.