Entertainment critic and regular pundit on Peace FM’s Entertainment Review Show, Arnold Asamoah-Baidoo, has fired Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Intergration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, over her comments regarding actor now turned politician, John Dumelo.
The minister, whilst campaigning for NPP PC, Lydia Alhassan on Friday, November 27, 2020 at Ayawaso West Wuogon, threw salvos at Dumelo, claiming that Parliament was serious business and not for actors.
According to Ayorkor-Botchwey parliamentarians are mandated to enact laws and other serious national businesses and not for persons who may just want to pursue the course because of popularity.
“Parliament is for serious minded people and not people who have done some movies and think they are popular. It is a serious place; I will tell him; the laws of the country are enacted in parliament. If our President can continue his job very well, he needs Lydia Alhassan in Parliament to do the job so that all you need as a constituency will be easily given to you,” she said.
Her comments however didn’t sit well with Asamoah Baidoo, who believes with the exposure the minister has been privileged to have, her utterances on the platform were unfortunate and very offensive, and that many industry players are offended by same.
Arnold said it is no secret that there are many celebrities all over the world who have contested many elections and no one used the fact that they were actors against them.
“My biggest disappointment is the woman who made that comment because in my estimation, I felt that the woman is really exposed and she is exposed, and if she is indeed with the creative arts industry as is being claimed here then she made a lot of ignorant comments on that platform…all over the world, people who are movie actors are popular, and as exposed as this woman is, she should have known that Ronald Reagan, when he contested for president no one said because he is an actor no one should vote for him, nobody said Arnold Schwarzenegger because he is a movie actor and popular, no one should vote for him…” he said.
Arnold concluded that it was hogwash for anyone to claim that what Ayorkor Botchwey meant was that popularity was not enough to go to parliament, because being a movie star is synonymous to popularity.
Watch Arnold Asamoah-Baidoo make his submission below:
