General News of Tuesday, 4 July 2023

Source: Richard Asamoah, Contributor

Don't plant seed of discord between Bagbin and Akufo-Addo, Mahama - Ex-NDC executive cautions

Moshake Moshake

A former Executive of the Tema East constituency branch of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called for a stoppage to a paper war that some members of the public are waging on behalf of the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin.

Making an incursion into the conversation on successive governments’ long neglect to confer national honours on the Speaker of Parliament, Moshake wrote that the tone that the conversation is beginning to take is unwholesome.
“Saying that former President Mahama and current president Nana Akufo-Addo have not decorated Bagbin because they are jealous of him is a low that I do not think is befitting,” Moshake wrote.

According to him, “this only serves to sow seeds of discord among our leaders which is not healthy for us as a country.”

His lament was contained in a write-up that was posted on social media earlier in the week.

It comes in the wake of a youth group in the Volta Region, Volta Youth for Truth in Politics (VYTP) disparaging the current president, Akufo-Addo and his predecessor to the effect that they have neglected to confer national honours on Bagbin out of envy.

The VYTP is one of many groups clamouring for the Speaker to be conferred the highest honour of the land, the Order of the Volta.

They recently rekindled the clamour for Bagbin to be awarded with their statement in which they said the reason why President Akufo-Addo and former President Mahama have not conferred national honours on Bagbin is because they feel if they doubt they will add to the many sterling achievements in Bagbin’s illustrious track record as a politician.

According to Moshake, he totally agrees with the position that Rt. Hon. Bagbin deserves to be honoured by the state but said that there may be many good reasons why the government has not done so yet.

“For all you know, it could be that Speaker Bagbin himself has said he is not interested in a national award, because there are many people like that,” Moshake wrote, urging those agitating for Bagbin to, “do their homework and ensure that they are not backing someone who is not interested in what they are craving for him.”

He added that, “What the country needs at the moment is unity of purpose that can help propel us out of the current economic hardships that are plaguing the country and the Ghanaian people.”

Meanwhile, the former NDC Constituency executive also commended the Speaker for his “sterling performance in office and politics in general which has led to people agitating for him to be awarded a national honour.”

“I would want to commend Asamoah Gyan for commending Speaker Bagbin and the parliament of Ghana for recognizing his contribution to the country’s achievements in soccer at the world cup stage”. Moshake wrote.