NDC?s Use of Ethnic Insults -Response by NPP UK & Ireland

The NPP UK & Ireland branch have observed with concern the trend where the NDC as a political group continue to make indigenes of the Sub-region of Northern Ghana the ?fall guys? for their dirty works; be it the use of Northern Traditional costume in the still unresolved operation to execute the three judges and an army officer in their antecedent PNDC days or the rabble rousing in the recent ROPAL agitation by some young people from that sub-region. This is compounded by the continuous public show of contempt by leading members of the party despite having among others the Minority leader of the NDC being indigenes from that part of the country.

A case in point is the recent comment made by Madam Ama Benyiwa Doe, NDC Women?s Organiser and a former Member of Parliament, against Hon. Stephen Kwaku Balado Manu, Member of Parliament for Ahafo-Ano South.

The NDC Women?s Organiser said to Hon. Balado Manu, during a radio debate, that he was a ?northerner and that is the reason why he does not understand her?. This is a serious comment the type of which, we believe, has become the stock in trade of the leadership of NDC against members of other ethnic communities.

Ever since this comment was made the NDC have neither issued any statement condemning it nor have they issued any comment to distance themselves from it. Ama Benyiwa Doe is the Party?s Women?s Organiser and therefore speaks with some authority for the Party.

Another case in point is the referral said to have been made by the former President JJ Rawlings to Hajia Hawawu the NDC deputy regional Women?s Organiser from Nima who was aspiring to become a Women?s Organiser of NDC in Greater Accra to go to her northern roots if she wants the position.

On Sunday, November 20, 2005, The NDC women from Nima descended heavily on former President Jerry John Rawlings, for declaring that, Sonu people, referring to Zongo indigenes should not hold positions, outside of the Northern regions.

The NDC founder played the tribal and religious cards at the Greater Accra NDC women?s congress, at the party headquarters in Kokomlemle, Accra, when he openly supported Ms Vivian Ankrah. The Nima women who were present at the meeting were said to have rained insults on him [Daily Guide -28/11/2005].

This statement from Rawlings catches our attention and it may be suggested that Ama Benyiwa Doe took the cue from this often played down posture of the NDC and its founder about people from the sub-region of Northern Ghana

Such comments of tribal nature suggest that the NDC is steeped in tribalism and has always been the unspoken card they have used since its inception. It is now becoming clear and apparent in their unguided and provocative statements.

The attitude of the NDC towards the people of Northern Ghana is deplorable and abhorrent and should be condemned in no uncertain terms. Ethnocentrism has no place in today?s modern Ghana where all hands of patriotic Ghanaians, both at home and abroad, are on deck to rebuild our dear country

Tribalism is one of the biggest banes in Ghanaian social life and all efforts are being made through public education and improvement in social interaction and social inclusion programmes to ensure that this social canker is uprooted. Yet here we are with people who should know better or people who should lead in this fight ? our politicians ? making public unacceptable, unsocial and disgraceful comments of this nature.

The NDC prides itself of the unflinching support they enjoy from the people of the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions and yet make derogatory comments against them such as that of Ama Benyiwa Doe which literally translates as Northerners do not understand anything or lack the capacity to understand because they are from the sub-region of Northern Ghana. This is absolutely offensive to the sensitivity of all decent Ghanaians.

The NDC have persistently fanned the troubles in Tamale area since the unfortunate assassination of Ya-Na in 2002 by accusing the NPP of masterminding it. They have benefited from this fanning of violence by winning the Tamale Central seat in 2004, a seat which was our safe seat until then.

As a Party we in the NPP have worked very hard to shake ourselves of this false accusation and in a true gesture of peace and reconciliation we have decided to give up our safe seat in the forthcoming by-election. The NDC have conveniently accused the NPP of being Akan-based Party, even though no member of the Party has on record made a derogatory or abusive tribal comment aimed at marginalizing or degrading another member of NPP or members of the other political parties about their ethnic backgrounds.

In a week where the NPP has decided in good faith not to contest the parliamentary election a Northern Ghana [Tamale Central] seat in deference to the people of Dagbon and to forestall any potential violence, a move notably applauded by the Nayiri, it is sickening to decent Ghanaians that no mean a person than a women?s organizer of the NDC will cast such aspersions on all people from that sub-region

We in the NPP are steeped in the history of Northern Ghana and acknowledge the role played in the political development of out country by our fore bearers who included political stalwarts from the North such as the late Chief SD Dombo, Tolon Naa Alhaji Yakubu Tali, Abayifa Karbo, Jato Kaleo, JA Braimah, Salifu Imoro and Amandi Adam and others including those who are still alive.. We respect their heritage and take exception to statements that are insulting to their people and their memories.

We therefore challenge the leadership of NDC to condemn statements such as those made openly by their founder JJ Rawlings and Ama Benyiwa Doe or at least distance themselves from them otherwise we will be convinced beyond all reasonable doubts that the NDC is a Party with an agenda aimed at marginalizing sections of the good people of Ghana, especially those from the three Northern regions.

We are also calling on Ama Benyiwa to resign or at the least publicly apologise to all Ghanaians for the statements made in her encounter with Hon Baladu Manu.

We also wish to state that such derogatory, abusive and ill-motivated comments aimed at marginalizing and degrading a section of proud Ghanaians has no place in our country today and call on all Ghanaians to help in the national effort to rid the tribalism out of our body politic. We may not need legislation for dealing with ethnocentric statements at this stage in our view but were this level of insensitivity to continue, there may be the need to consider enacting legislation to put people who make such deplorable utterances where they rightly belong.

CHAIRMAN For and on behalf of NPP UK & IRELAND