Ghanaian actor and politician, John Dumelo has reacted to criticism about his switch from entertainment to politics.
In an interview on Hitz FM’s Daybreak Hitz with Andy Dosty, he spoke about how some people despised his political ambition because of his background as an entertainment person.
John Dumelo, who has transitioned from a successful acting career to politics, made this comment when he was asked about overcoming the stigma of coming from a showbiz background.
He highlighted the diversity of backgrounds already present in Ghana’s Parliament, pointing out that professionals from various fields, including law, medicine, and business, serve as Members of Parliament.
“I see it as a little bit disrespectful because you have lawyers, you have doctors, you have businessmen in Parliament,” he said.
He stressed that the core of political service is about effectively representing one’s constituents, regardless of prior career paths.
“We even had hairdressers in parliament,” he added.
He indicated that the politicians are the same people who come to entertainers to endorse them during their political political campaigns because they know how powerful entertainers can be.
“And so, for me, that stigma is just one of those things that I just when people say it, I just laugh about it.
But all in all, it’s for us to represent the people well,” he further noted.
John Dumelo won the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He won over the incumbent Member of Parliament Lydia Seyram Alhassan, having 47,560 votes to Alhassan’s 39,214 votes.