Veep appeals to foot soldiers of NDC to exercise patience

Sunyani, April 18, GNA - Vice President John Dramani Mahama on Sunday called on foot soldiers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to exercise patience for the government to focus on their demands. "The government has started addressing the demands throughout the country, but as I keep on saying, it is not possible for everybody to be satisfied at the same time, so all we ask of them is to exercise restraint while we keep addressing them."

Vice President Mahama made the call when he addressed the Muslim community in the Sunyani Municipality as part of a day's official visit to the Brong Ahafo Region on Sunday.

The meeting attracted chiefs of the various ethnic groups, Imams and other Muslim hierarchy in the region. The Vice President said his recent comments on the party's foot soldiers was not meant to undermine them, but to let them understand the realities on the ground.

"Some people who did not understand what I meant thought I was snubbing the foot soldiers who, helped us to come into power, but my utterance was more or less an appeal for them to listen to the leaders just like other Ghanaians."

He called on the Muslim leaders to educate the youth against the use of violence and other unorthodox ways of pressing home their demands and rather seek dialogue with the authorities.

"It is extremely difficult for us to satisfy the over four million Ghanaians who voted for the party within one and half years. We are all born differently, but God has a way of satisfying us and I know at the appropriate time we shall all be served."

Vice President Mahama also called on potential pilgrims to forward their documents early enough to the Hajj Committee to avoid delays in the processing of their travelling documents. He said the Committee would soon present their report to government for appraisal and gave the assurance that measures would be put in place to improve the Hajj in future.

Alhaji Baba Gausu, Secretary to the Chief Imam of Sunyani commended the government for organising a successful Hajj last year. He appealed to the government to extend the protocol allotment of tickets to chiefs since the concentration had been always on Imams. Alhaji Gausu also appealed to the government to help construct satellite mosques in the municipality since a number of Muslims had to travel long distances to worship on daily basis.