Criticism against Moesha misplaced, issues raised serious - NDC flagbearer hopeful

A National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer hopeful, Sylvester Mensah has urged Ghanaians to be mindful of the criticism against embattled socialite/actress Moesha Boduong after she revealed in an interview that she sleeps with married men to pay her rent.

According to the Former CEO of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the issues raised by Miss Boduong are the realities on the ground, adding that they must be swiftly addressed.

Speaking in an interview on ClassFM, Mr. Mensah said: “Recently we heard from a lady called Moesha Boduong who made a few comments about where she stands about the matrix of her life and her realities and rationalities and made a few comments which appear to have attracted a lot of comments from other people, which I consider a little unfair and a little misplaced because at the heart of her message, she tried to share her personal experience.

“Of course, there are a number of people who may share in her experiences but who may not have the courage to, as it were, put it out in the public domain. But at the core of her message, she had to talk about rent, which is a difficulty in her life. I guess all politics must be local and in developing policies, we need to look at individuals, we need to look at the family and then we look at the community and the country at large.

“She raised a serious policy issue that has been at the core of my policy initiative if Ghanaians give me the opportunity; and that is rent. We need to review our current rent control laws, we need to review our rent regulations, when you travel to countries like the U.S., like the U.K., no one pays one-year rent advance, no one pays two-, three-, four-year rent advance.

“In the U.K., you pay one month deposit; all other payments are on monthly basis. when you go to the U.S., the situation is not different; in Ghana rent payment is moving families and individuals into poverty and if the whole idea is to ensure some level of a safety net, social protection to support the underprivileged and reduce barriers that push people into poverty, I think rent is a key issue and that is my takeaway from her [Moesha] statement.”

The former boss of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) noted that Ms. Boduong made a “brilliant statement that I think policymakers must delve into rather than to criticise, we need to review, and given the opportunity to lead my party as flagbearer, given the opportunity to lead this country, I would review the rent laws, we would abolish this prohibitive rent advances, we would make it a disincentive for any landlord to, as it were, demand a year or two years’ rent advance”.