Some years ago, development was synonymous with skyscrapers dotting the skyline of our cities. Now, development is assessed based on its impact on the people.
During the skyscrapers’ era of development, the wealthiest people were those who conquered empires and owned goldmines. Today, the billionaires are those who own assets to disseminate information. In other words, those who control the information super highway dictate the direction of the development agenda of the world.
Thus those who underrate the ICT value chain joke with their destiny and those of its citizens.
What it means in simple terms is that the mind and for that matter the brain would drive the development process in the world. Those who were tickling themselves and laughing at the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for abandoning the economy to focus on digitalisation only displayed their ignorance of the dynamics of the new world economic order. The finest hour is here, catapulted by the 2024 general election, when the candidates, especially Dr. Bawumia and John Mahama would be called upon to show what each of them can do differently to turn the economy around.
Propaganda and outright lies or the resort to religious and tribal politics would not convince the people of their competences to improve the well-being of the people. Election 2024 would be about brains, and the candidate with practicable solutions to our problems would receive massive endorsements from the people.
The reactions from the public to the tribal and religious politics by some NDC elements show clearly that Ghanaians are more discerning and would not accommodate vain and empty promises again.
Wits and brains hold the key now and not necessarily the number of skyscrapers a particular government undertook but how such interventions impacted lives.
We, therefore, urge the electorate to demand issues-based electioneering from our presidential candidates in 2024 but not ethnic and religious persuasions.
Listen to them, especially on their hatred for the Muslim community just because of Bawumia’s belief in interfaith and the need for Christians and Muslims to coexist.
Now that Dr. Bawumia has decided to deepen religious tolerance, he is being called all kinds of names because the NDC lacks the ideas to debate the NPP on issues of national concern. From our history, every political leader fraternises with all religions, and Dr. Bawumia is not the first to encourage interfaith in our country.
Sam George was the first to describe Dr. Bawumia in very derogatory terms, but John Mahama, a normal Muslim decamped to become a Christian and nobody called him a “prostitute”. Then the man who is doing everything possible to gain the attention of Mahama claimed Dr. Bawumia was weaponising religion. And we don’t think the Muslim community has forgotten the divisive statement of Fifi Kwettey, the NDC General Secretary, captured by Wikileaks that a Muslim cannot be President of Ghana.
These statements tell you about the mindset
of the NDC and beyond using Muslims as election tools they have no respect for them. Otherwise where is the new impetus coming from among NDC apparatchiks that a Muslim cannot be a President of Ghana?
John Mahama attends any Islamic function and nobody accuses him of being a “prostitute”. Just about two weeks ago, Mahama was a guest at the birthday celebration of Prophet Muhammad at Fadama in Accra, and did that gesture attempt to weaponise religion?
In 2019, the Chief Imam attended mass at the Christ the King Parish to mark his 100th birthday.
The NDC during the run-up to Election 2024 wants to disturb the peace of the country by bringing disunity between Muslims and Christians. If the NDC lacks the competence to match the NPP boot-for-boot on the campaign trail, they should not in their desperation divide the ranks of Muslims and Christians.
Our ability to harness religious diversity for the development of the country is admired worldwide. We should therefore resist any attempt to derail the peaceful coexistence of Muslims and Christians.
Mr. Mahama spoke about the need for interfaith anytime he felt the need to do so, and since the sages say example is better than precepts, he should practice what he preaches otherwise he would be like the preacher man who says “do as I preach but not what I do.”