Former President Rawlings and daughter, Zanetor
Renowned academic and former Minister of State, Professor Kwasi Yankah, has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the derogatory comment directed at Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings in Parliament, emphasizing that the issue extends beyond identifying the culprit behind the insult.
During a parliamentary debate in February 2025, an unidentified lawmaker was heard off-camera referring to Dr. Zanetor Rawlings as the “daughter of a murderer,” a remark believed to be an attack on her late father, former President Jerry John Rawlings.
The comment, repeated multiple times, has since sparked national outrage, prompting Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin to call for an investigation to determine the identity of the lawmaker responsible.
In an article titled “…And WHO SAID TWEAAA?”, Professor Yankah compared the parliamentary outburst to the infamous 2014 “Who said Tweaa” incident, where a faceless voice heckled a District Chief Executive (DCE) during a speech, leaving the official embarrassed and demanding to know the culprit.
According to him, just as the source of the “Tweaa” jibe remained anonymous, the parliamentary slur against Zanetor is likely to remain unresolved as well.
“Everybody probably knew who said ‘Tweaa,’ but for record purposes, the lawmakers that day saw no evil, heard no evil, and spoke no evil,” Yankah wrote.
He suggested that while Speaker Bagbin’s efforts to investigate the remark are commendable, such incidents often lead to dead ends, as legislators may be unwilling to expose their colleagues.
Professor Yankah acknowledged that the attack on Zanetor was “uncouth and unacceptable” but warned that revisiting Ghana’s turbulent political history could have deeper implications.
“Speaker Alban Bagbin, we know you mean well; but please don’t overreach yourself getting to the bottom of the matter. ‘Who said Tweaa,’ often draws a blank response.
“Even if the bad boy owns up to apologize, simply caution him. But spend more time at orientation sessions, cautioning the House about Ghana’s grisly past and national security risks involved in ‘prying beneath the eye of the corpse.’ Finger pointing murderers and relations should have no place in a dignified parliament; but there are more fundamental issues beyond a venomous missile directed at Zanetor; after all she was only a year-old when her father led the dreaded June 4th Revolution.
“The attack was uncouth and unacceptable. But society would probably prefer sleeping dogs to lie or even die, since a good part of our political history can evoke nightmares! It is for this reason the formal celebration of revolutions was unanimously outlawed by the Supreme Court in 1994,” he added.
He recalled the Supreme Court’s 1994 ruling that outlawed the formal celebration of revolutions, as well as President John Agyekum Kufuor’s establishment of the National Reconciliation Commission in 2002 to address past human rights violations.
However, he noted that despite these efforts, violent revolutions, such as the June 4th Uprising led by Rawlings, continue to be commemorated.
Drawing from his past interviews with children orphaned by the June 4th coup, Yankah highlighted their lingering pain and opposition to its continued celebration.
Addressing Dr. Zanetor Rawlings directly, Professor Yankah expressed sympathy for the attack she suffered in Parliament but urged her to reconsider her involvement in the celebration of revolutions under Ghana’s constitutional democracy. “People are still hurting, Zanetor,” he advised.
He called on Speaker Bagbin to look beyond identifying the MP responsible for the comment and instead focus on the broader historical wounds that continue to divide the nation.
“What has happened demands far deeper remedies. It raises questions far beyond who said Tweaa,’” he stated.
AM/KA
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