The victory of Dr. Bawumia as the NPP presidential candidate has caused a lot of consternation in the camp of the NDC, and seems to have destabilised their response to the initial gains being made across the country by the Vice President.
In the field of lies and propaganda, the NDC admittedly are masters in the field, but unfortunately, the response of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, on the Vice President’s interactions with muslims and christians in the country, totally missed the mark.
The MP called the Vice President a religious prostitute who is a ‘muslim by day and a christian by night’, and that he is not a proper muslim. He further stated that the Vice President cannot be trusted because his choice of religion is unknown. Really? Has Dr. Bawumia ever failed to disclose his religion? When did the religion of any Ghanaian become a political issue?
Is the MP qualified to judge who a true muslim is? I can bet my last pesewa, that if this tangent of argument is pursued politically, it will hurt NDC’s campaign more than the NPP. Ghanaians have practiced religious tolerance for a very long time, and they will not standby unconcerned for any intemperate young politician (38yrs old), to reverse the gains for cheap political points.
In Wikipedia, religious prostitution “is a purported rite consisting of paid intercourse performed in the context of religious worship, possibly as a form of fertility rite or divine marriage.” Which religious prostitution was the MP referring to in relation to the definitions given by Wikipedia?If the MP meant flirting with mosques and churches, then he seriously misfired because the words he spoke per Wikipedia has a different meaning.
I think the best thing for the MP to do, if truly he is an honourable man, is to apologise immediately to the Vice President and the whole nation.The MP is used to such vituperations, and as we approach 2024 elections, more of such utterances may be spewed out, and he should be advised not to disturb the peace we are enjoying.
Whatever his motives or intentions, it was an irresponsible statement, to say the least. Dr. Bawumia appeared on the political scene in 2008 when the president nominated him as his running mate. Since then, the Vice President has identified himself with his religion and nobody has doubted him or challenged him on this issue. He has been going around the whole country performing his duties. So why is it an issue now?
Throughout his political career, Dr. Bawumia has visited several mosques and churches many times and has demonstrated his belief that muslims and christians can live in harmony with each other. He has won the hearts of many Christians because of his humility.His respect among the muslim community is very high and still growing.
This has set the NDC in a panic mode, and the MP’s attack on Dr. Bawumia should not surprise anyone.The current controversy regarding Teachers’ Licensure Examinatio introduced during the tenure of Mr. Mahama which he is now saying he will cancel if he becomes president, is another.
Since Dr. Bawumia’s election as the NPP flagbearer, the NDC has orchestrated some communication on the social media, to put pressure on NPP and the flagbearer to nominate a running mate. This is very funny and strange because Mr. Mahama was nominated as NDC flagbearer on May 13, 2023, whilst Dr. Bawumia was elected on November 4, 2023. The NDC is yet to nominate its running mate, so why the interest in the nomination of NPP’s running mate? Panic!
In the past, the NDC has capitalised on ex-President Mahama’s (Christian) northern extraction to win votes during elections in the northern region. Today, however, the situation has seriously been disturbed with the emergence of Dr. Bawumia (muslim) as the NPP presidential candidate, and the NDC will not allow it to go without a fight, hence the attack on him by the MP. Whatever strategies the NDC intends to adopt to combat the threat posed by Dr. Bawumia, they must be very careful as this could prove to be their waterloo.
Ever since I devoted some of my precious time to study politics, I have never understood or stopped wondering why some people in the NDC behave the way they do and why their actions and criticisms are always characterised by hypocrisy, violence, negativity, deception, abusive language, disrespect for elders and authority etc. The NDC has become ‘Asantrofie Anoma’ in Ghanaian politics. ‘Asantrofie Anoma’ is a proverbial Akan bird who goes upstream, muddies the water and flies downstream to question who did it.
Many of our problems today can be traced to the Revolution and 16 years rule of the NDC. From 1979-2023 (44 years), the NDC has ruled this country for 29 years including their revolutionary years. The NPP has ruled only 15 years and will be completing its 16th year in 2024. If Ghana has not made much progress since the last 44 years, ask “na who cause am?”
Many religious conflicts have retarded the progress of many nations and caused the citizenry a lot of hardships, not to mention the loss of lives and properties. Pictures on television screens show how children are suffering in the Israeli and Hamas/Palestinians conflict, tensions are abound in India and Pakistan, Nigeria is not having it easy with Boko Haram, Iran-Iraq has long lasting conflict, the same is the situation in Afghanistan-Iraq and many others continue to disturb the peace of the world.
The World Watch has listed some countries with serious religious violence which includes North Korea, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, Pakistan, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, India and many more. All these countries are going through serious economic difficulties because of the conflicts and their citizens are suffering. I don’t think that the MP wants Ghana to experience any of these conflicts.
We must not take the peace we enjoy in this country for granted. We have come a long way to enjoy this peace which has been bestowed on us by the grace of God. Statements purported to be harmless may cause major issues for the nation. The signals emerging from the NDC suggest that they have no message for the people, but droplets from the NPP’s table seem enough to feed their hungry communicators.
The victory of Dr. Bawumia as NPP presidential candidate has seriously destabilised the campaign plans of the NDC and their reactions to issues suggest the loss of direction.The NDC thinks they are favourites to win the next elections, but these signals do not suggest they are confident enough to win the elections.
Many of the serious conflicts in the world today are religious based especially between muslims and christians. In Ghana we have been blessed because except for small skirmishes in the past, muslims and christians have enjoyed relative peace. This must be maintained at all costs and no party or individual must be allowed to disturb the peace.
Looking at the destructive nature of religious conflicts in the world, peace in our country should be seen as progress and must be guarded jealously.
By: Brig (Rtd) J.Odei