Disabled Threaten Demo

The Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD) has made an urgent demand to the government to reconstitute the governing boards of the National Council for Persons with Disability (NCPD) and to constitute a governing board for the Mental Health Authority (MHA). The federation had given the government a two-week ultimatum to heed to its demand. President of the federation, Yaw Ofori Debrah, who was addressing a press conference at the Accra Rehabilitation Centre, hinted that failure on the part of government to address the issue within the two weeks period would only trigger members to take to the streets of Accra to protest. �We don�t want to go on the street to protest for the reconstitution and constitution of these boards because the government has failed to respect our demand. But if everything doesn�t work out as we want within the two weeks period we are giving the government, we will have to go on the street and protest, �Mr Debrah said. The President of the federation noted that the government had failed to reconstitute the governing board of the National Council on Persons with Disability since its mandate expired in April 2012. He further noted that the government had also failed to constitute a governing board of the Mental Health Authority. According to Mr Debrah, members of the federation on March 18, this year, met with President John Dramani Mahama, at the Flagstaff House, to discuss the issue of the reconstitution of board of NCPD and the constitution of that of the MHA. Again, on April 24, this year, �members of the federation met with the Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, to address the issue of the reconstitution of the board of NCPD and the constitution of the board of the MHA. �We are seeing no sign from the President. It seems he doesn�t see the issue of disability as a priority. Meanwhile, the year is drawing to an end and the national budget for 2014 would soon be read,� he indicated. The federation is now worried that if the issues of the boards are not addressed before the budget is read, their operations would be impossible. �If the boards are not in place before the budget is read where will they get money to operate,� he quizzed. Some members of the federation noted that in reconstituting and constituting the boards, the government must endeavour to appoint people who have the interest of persons with disability at heart.