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Opinions of Wednesday, 16 April 2014

Columnist: The Catalyst

Big shame, Prof Ocquaye

It is a big shame that, at a time the nation is trying hard to build a cohesive society in which all manner of people work together as a unit without discrimination, the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Professor Mike Ocquaye, a renowned preacher could make statements that have the potential of breaking the nation apart.
The Catalyst would have brushed aside the statements he made, attributing ‘hatred’ Northerners and Ewes had against Akans to ex-President Rawlings, if it came from any other person in the lower ranks of society or even a serial caller.
However, for a Professor, who is not only a father figure in politics but more importantly in the church, it is a big shame that his hatred for former President Rawlings misled him into making a potentially-destructive statement that could be used as basis to turn a tribe against another.
Even if he was so obsessed with his political beliefs that pitch him against a person like ex-President Rawlings, his knowledge of the Word of God and experience as a leading Christian who ministers to people of various tribes and races, should have reminded him of the danger he was posing to Ghana with those irresponsible statements.
Interestingly, those statements were coming at a time another African country, Rwanda was marking the 20th Anniversary of the killing of some one million people as a result of tribal differences.
All these should have been taken into consideration by the learned professor who should know better. Whatever caused him to make those statements is a deadly weapon he has to watch, else he would be shocked one day to realize that he is being used by that same thing in the wrong direction.
We may have tribal differences and perceptions about each other depending on where we stand but we all have a responsibility to try hard to iron out those differences and work together for a united society where people are not treated based on their tribe.
Therefore, the likes of Professor Mike Ocquaye, who think they know history more than all others, should spare us the emotionally-influenced knowledge that has nothing good for the nation, rather than intellectually-guided one.
It’s a big shame that Professor Mike Ocquaye is the one making these tribally-sentimental statements instead of a serial caller or ill-informed palm wine tapper.
Ghanaians love each other in spite of the tribal differences and no politician can divide us for his/her parochial interest.