[ 2021-02-16 ]

Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, testing in parliament

Ursula renders conditional apology to NDC MPs
Minister-designate for Communications and
Digitalization, Ursula Owusu has said if the
National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawmakers are
offended by her utterance to the effect that they
had taken leave of their senses after walking out
from parliament when President Nana Addo Dankwa
Akufo-Addo was about to deliver his state of the
nation address, then she apologizes.


Her conditional apology comes after North Tongu
lawmaker, Samuel Okudzeto has said at her vetting
on Monday February 15 that “the expression [NDC
MPs] have taken leave of their senses is an
insult, it is most offensive and this side of the
House feels scandalized by it, we are hurt by
it.”



Ursula berated the NDC Minority in February 2020
for boycotting the State of the Nation Address,
that year.

“If indeed the president had said something
offensive which they were reacting to, it would
have been understood,” she said.

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She added “But staging a walkout which is
uncalled for, totally without reason, it looks as
if they’ve taken leave of their senses; excuse
me to say. Particularly when their leadership also
indulges in this completely unnecessary and
senseless exercise…”

But during her vetting on Monday February 15, Mr
Ablakwa said “The nominee owes us an apology
because it is not acceptable to call your
colleague honourable members of the House that we
have taken leave of our senses.”



In response to that she said “Mr Chairman if
you listen to the full tape and you do not
situate what I was saying in context then maybe
what the member is saying may be justified but
what I said is ,it looks as if they have taken
leave of their senses , excuse me to say.

“So even there, the intention is clearly not to
say the minority side of the House has taken leave
of their senses. It is English language and it has
meanings. Words have meanings and you read it
within its context.”

When the Chair of the Committee Joe Osei Wusu told
her that since she did not mean to insult them,
she should apologise and move on, she said “Mr
Chairman, it is also critically important to
situate statements within context so you do not
read the wrong meanings into it. No Offence was
meant, if offence was taken I apologize.”

Source - 3 News

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