News:
February 18, 2011
The Member of Parliament for Shai Osudoku, David Tetteh Asuming on Friday stirred up some controversy in the House when he accused some female MPs of indecent dressing.
He said some women do not dress in a way that depict the Ghanaian tradition, but rather prefer to wear clothes that expose parts of their bodies.
He told Joy News’ Parliamentary correspondent Sammy Darko: “We are supposed to abide by some level of sanity in terms of dressing; that is what we are expected to do, so [it is not acceptable] if you come to the chamber and certain vital parts of yours are exposed…”, he complained.
Some women members of the House demanded a retraction and an apology from him for passing such an ‘uncharitable’ comment of them, but Mr. Asuming would not budge.
He refuted the assertion that his statement was an attack on the dignity of women, remarking that his intention was, instead, “trying to protect their dignity”.
The legislator said Parliament House is a place of “international stature” where dignitaries from other countries often visit to observe proceedings. He noted that school children also come to witness proceedings for educational purposes.
“So when they come, it is not only the proceedings that they watch. They also watch the type of dressings we show.” He therefore admonished fellow parliamentarians not to dress extraordinarily but to try and dress simply.
His insistence brought some disruption in the House but the Speaker, took control of the situation and suggested that there was a need to review the dress code of parliamentarians if possible.
Source: Joy FM