Ghana: Stone adulterous women to death – MP makes suggestion to interstate sucession bill

A Ghanaian Member of Parliament (MP) has proffered hanging or stoning

to death as the best punishment for women who engage in adulterous

acts.

"Day in day out in Afghanistan, if you go behind you husband they hang

you. So if they add that we will get very genuine women in families"

The MP for Daboya/Makarigu in the Northern region, Nelson Abudu Baani

proposed this form of punishment while contributing to a debate on a

Bill on Interstate Succession.

Nelson Abudu Baani

The Bill has reached its second stage of consideration after it was

first introduced in 2009. The committee which is working on the Bill,

the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee has

explained that it has spent over two years on the Bill because it

touches on very sensitive issues of inheritance in Ghana.

The Bill will replace the Intestate Succession Act, 1985 (PNDC Law

111) when passed. Under the PNDC Law 111, the distribution of the

estate of a man who died without a will is determined by the customary

law of inheritance of the area from which he hailed, or the type of

marriage unde which the decease married.

As a result, a greater chunk of the estate of the deceased was

inherited by his customary successor or successors on behalf of the

extended family, thereby cheating the female spouse and children of

the deceased.

The current Bill wants to rectify that situation by giving more rights

to such women with regards to property of their deceased husbands.

The MP is unhappy with the current state of the Bill.

He stated that the Bill in its current form would create confusion in

his constituency and other areas in the Northern Region of Ghana,

According to him, the current Interstate Succession law permits a

woman who has cheated on her deaceased husband to inherit his property

— even if the adultery results in a child from another man.

In his view, the current state of the Bill does not favour men.

"I want members at this time to reject it [Bill]. This thing will

bring alot of controversy in my area.

Some of these women are 'alomo jarta' in thier houses so if a woman

that I am married to brings me a bastard what is the [punishiment] for

those type of women. Unless punishment for women who are not faithful

is added, we should not adpot it"

Nelson Abudu Baani therefore called for the suspension of the Bill for

broader consultation before the House tries its passage.

Majority Chief Whip, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak also expressed the view

that the promulgation of the Bill will encourage cohabitation which

adverse effect will be the creation of more problems for families.

Credit: Myjoyonline