Mensah Thompson, the Executive Director of ASEPA (Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability), has taken issue with the remarks made by Apostle Lilian Kumah, the late Deputy Finance Minister’s widow.
In an interview with Asaase Radio, Mrs. Kumah denied rumors that her husband passed away from food poisoning, stating that German medical professionals had determined he had been suffering from a fatal illness for about a year.
Mensah Thompson voiced her criticism of Mrs. Kumah’s choice to reveal the specifics of her husband’s death during an appearance on Citi TV’s Breakfast Daily.
He asked the widow to stop talking and concentrate on her husband’s sorrow.
Mensah Thompson underlined that Mrs. Kumah’s participation in conversations on her husband’s cause of death was improper.
Reiterating that the widow has no right to make statements regarding the cause of death, he counseled her to leave the investigation in the hands of experts who would perform an autopsy.
Mensah Thompson emphasized Ashanti cultural customs, pointing out that widows are supposed to spend a time of mourning and abstain from publicly discussing the reason behind their spouse’s passing.
“I will plead with the wife to shut up and mourn her husband. And, in fact, as we speak, John Kumah’s wife is on Asaase radio granting an interview claiming that her husband was not poisoned. But is that what your focus should be as a widow?
“In Ashanti culture, you can’t even come out, in our traditional culture, when you lose your husband, you can’t even come out for a certain amount of time.
“You are supposed to be in the room and mourn. Whatever people are claiming killed or didn’t kill your husband is not up to you. That is why there are professionals who will do an autopsy and that is none of your business. People can claim whatever they want to claim, but focus on mourning your husband.”
