‘I’m deeply sorry’ – Hawa Koomson apologises for shooting incident
The Minister-designate for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mavis Hawa Koomson has apologized for the infamous shooting incident which happened in her constituency last year during the nation-wide voter registration exercise.
Madam Koomson who was then the Minister for Special Development Initiatives was seen firing warning shots at the Steps to Christ polling station claiming it was in self defense.
“I apologize to everyone for shooting. It was the circumstance [in which] I found myself that led me to fire the warning shots. I really regret that day which I wish never happens in the life of our political activities,” she said while answering a question posed by the Minority leader during her vetting on Thursday, February 18.
According to her, though a police officer had been assigned to her to provide security, he was not present on the day of the incident.
She said her reaction would be different should the same unfortunate circumstance presents itself again.
The Minister-designate, however, explained that “yes, there was a name of a polling station there, but it (shooting incident) did not happen at the polling station. It happened outside the polling center, about 150 meters away. But I still say I regret that”.
Madam Koomson, appealed to the vetting committee to pardon her and refrain from asking further questions on the incident as it was still under police investigation.
Background
During the mass voter registration exercise in July 2020, Mavis Hawa Koomson stormed the centre after receiving information that people from outside the constituency were bussed to register there as voters.
She accused the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of transporting [bussing] people from outside the constituency, from Gomoa East and Nsawam to come and register at the Step to Christ polling station.
Several CSOs and individuals, including Security analysts criticized her for the shooting incident which they described as not befitting of a Minister-of-State.
They called for her resignation or dismissal, but the MP for Awutu Senya East insisted her action was a means to defend herself against a danger she had sited.
According to her, her manager had taken the lead to the registration center where they had received information the bussing was happening.
She said when she later arrived at the center, there were many boys on motorbikes and she felt her people’s life and that of her’s were in danger, so she fired the warning shots in an attempt to scare them.