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Opinions of Sunday, 24 February 2013

Columnist: Wuni, Ras Iddi

I Will Contest as MP for Bawku Central

Ras Iddi Wuni Jnr

My vision for 2016 and beyond, is about building an Ark for a New Generation in Bawku.My ambitions is born out of my desire to trigger a new cause so that collectively we can all reshape the destiny of Bawku as one people. I am an ordinary small boy but with ideas, strong daring instinct, creativity, imaginations, and inspiring. And these are all natural. I think about the future of Bawku more than I lament about the present no matter the challenges, frustrations, disappointments and difficulties facing us a people.

My dear brothers and sisters from Bawku, please permit me to talk a bit about the Noah's Ark in the Bible. You see, when God wanted to purify His land and blessed the people, He warned Noah about a disaster and also instructed him to build an Ark for a new generation of His chosen people. My dear brothers and sisters, 2016 as I see it, will bring to us a lot of challenges with politics as a cause factor. Therefore, just as Noah build the Ark before it started raining, so am I making this announcement so early enough for you all to know. I must admit that ordinarily, this would have been a very difficult decision for me to make, but for God's promise to prepare me adequately enough to be able to embark on this challenging political journey. At least as an amateur politician I understand how muddy it could be with the kind of passion and interest opposing candidates and their supporters usually put into this beautiful game of persuading for an opportunity to render service to one’s community and its people. Hence, with God on my side, and with your understanding, I am comfortable for making this decision known to you all.

The challenges ahead of us as a people in 2016 and beyond, need a new breed of generational thinkers to serve our people. And that is what we must begin thinking now before the old generation would continue to mess us up with their way of understanding our needs and challenges. However, until then I am ever willing to help our present MP (Hon. Mahama Ayariga) to serve the good people of Bawku should he need my services in his plans for Bawku, that's if he has any plan at all. I also will be willing to help anyone who will be appointed as our MCE by the president, in an effort to help move Bawku forward. I must say that my ambition to represent the good people of Bakwu in 2016 and beyond, should be seen as a test for ideas and not wealth, love for community and not knowledge, what I stand for and not my identity. Somehow in my little mind, I believe that the beauty of a woman will depreciate even when her age remains a constant figure. The strength of a man will also depreciate even when his age remains a constant figure. So, I have now learnt to know when to utilize beauty (ideas) and strength (creativity) when I am still beautiful and strong. But regrettably though, I wished I had done all what I'm doing now, ten years ago. And that is, advocating the need for unity among the people, peace instead of conflicts, and a society free of tribal hate and discrimination, divisiveness and political acrimony. However, that notwithstanding, I am determined to start doing now all that I will have or might want to do for my community and the good people of Bawku, ten years to come. I believe I have something good to offer my people. I believe I can serve my people. I believe I must serve my community in any way possible for its betterment and advancement. I believe Bawku is a prosperous and great Municipality with hard working people.

I therefore pray for God's guidance, mercies and blessings, and I also pray for the understanding of the good people of Bawku that, together we should be thinking about what we must do now for a better tomorrow than what we must not do now so we can have a better today. And that's why I will be in the political race in 2016. Do I have the “political money”? No! Will the people accept me? I leave that to their conscience. Can I win? I leave that to God. What should I do? Be creative, honest with what I stand for, and let the people see in me what I can do for our community. But collectively, I think we must start building trust, respect and love for one another as a people of rich tribal and cultural diversity. We must start understanding that despite the fact that we buy guns and ammunitions to protect ourselves, we end up using them to destroy ourselves. We must start understanding that we can make our lives better and with dignity and pride if we understand the challenges and realities of the time, if we understand that we cannot move Bawku forward with a determined effort to impose, and or struggle for tribal superiority instead of mutual tribal love, understanding, and respect for each other rights and freedom as a people. We must begin to elect people who will lead us as one people to build one future for all in peace and unity.

I preach peace, love, and togetherness. I preach freedom and understanding, and I believe in justice for all. I speak of untied Bawku, and I therefore look forward for the day the good people of Bawku will give me the chance to put to practice what I preach. The day the good people will give me a responsibility as a test to serve them. I am also, looking for the day all the tribes in Bawku will assemble at one place to celebrate their different rich traditional cultures without prejudices, but rather in the spirit of peaceful coexistence and our collective efforts and resolved to look beyond the differences that keeps us divided and make us continue to hate each other especially as Mamprusis and Kusasis. Let's unite and recreate Bawku from conflicts to peace, hate to love, mistrust to trust, under development to development. For if we fail to understand the realities of our time, we will continue to misunderstand the opportunities of our time as a people and will therefore continue to believe that we can never have peace in Bawku, and justice for all. That the Mamprusis and Kusasis can never or should never be one. I refused to believe that because I know the unborn generation will not understand that.

I stand for a better Bawku, a united people, and I believe I can trigger a good change. I believe we can do all things with understanding, love, togetherness, and still pursue our divided dreams with civility. I believe we must believe in our innate abilities to make things happen for the good of society and our community.

Thank you and May God bless Bawku.

Ras Iddi Wuni Jnr