The beauty of diversity has been laid out so beautifully in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Those in denial of this trend in modern politics and therefore finding it difficult to come to terms with this reality have abundant lessons to learn from if they care to do so. They had better conformed with the trend or be left out in a world which is shedding the dirty garb of ethnicity and religious bigotry.
The world has moved on from the medieval days of ethnocentric and faith bigotry and those still playing those antiquated cards must simply bow their heads in shame and get the hell out of the new socio-political ambience.
Scotland’s governing Scottish National Party has elected Humza Yousaf, a Muslim as its new leader on Monday after a five-week heated contest. Although deep fractures were visited upon the political order, the 37-year-old son of South Asian immigrants has become the first person of colour to serve as Scotland’s first minister regardless of his faith or where his parents hailed from.
Currently the Health Minister in that semi-autonomous country, he beat two other Scottish lawmakers in a contest to replace the First Minister; he was confirmed yesterday.
Earlier, another politician with Asian origin, Rishi Sunak, became the Prime Minister of the UK, both developments evidencing how far the world has moved on. Â The US had earlier witnessed the presidency of the first black in the person of Barack Obama and now a lady of colour becoming the first Vice President of that country.
Unfortunately, there are a few yet noisy bigots in this country who continue to spew the destructive garbage of ethnicity and religion when issues are being discussed about political leadership.
They are few, by far outnumbered by good Ghanaians who appreciate the importance of diversity and would work towards enhancing diversity because after all this country is moving forward, backward never.
Although such persons cannot retard the progress of this country in her steady march away from the antiquated thinking, there is the need to check them so that the flicker of their nonsense is totally subdued by the forces of advancement.
They should be rejected who campaign for political office using these unprogressive attributes. Only persons with no confidence in themselves and no records to show would resort to such rather cheap and pedantic tactics.
Ghana needs persons for leadership whose clouts cuts across ethnocentric and religious lines. We cannot ask for more in a country which is peopled by persons of varied backgrounds and idiosyncrasies.
Over the years, we have mastered the art of living in such beautiful diversity to the admiration of countries which are yet to find their feet under similar conditions.
Diversity brings progress by ensuring that the constituents bring out the best in them for the progress of all. It looks admirable when our national team, the Black Stars, fields players from the two Abrahamic faiths and diverse ethnicities, all playing for their motherland Ghana.