Opinions of Sunday, 19 August 2012

Columnist: Sarpong, Nana Yaw

Is Mahama Now Supporting Bature’s Dirty Tribal Politics ?

The desperate lengths at which some members of the NDC and its rented press allies will go order to win the coming elections beggars belief.
You only have to read the submissions of Alhaji Idrissu Bature, the editor of the Al Hajj newspaper who is now using his newspaper to forment tribalism and dangerous xenophobia.
If President Mahama is looking for the exponents of xenophobia, racism and tribalism in Ghana, he should look no further than Alhaji Idrissu Bature who in an effort to try and ensure some kind of block vote in the three northern regions and in the zongos for Mr John Mahama is going around smearing members of the New Patriotic Party accusing them of hating northerners to be presidents when there is no evidence of this. So far the President has failed to call Alhaji Bature to order meaning he approves of these kinds of statements. Mr Bature has conveniently forgotten what fellow NDC colleague Mr Fifi Kwetey who sat in front of American political officers telling them that Muslims can never be presidents in Ghana. What did he say or do about this terrible statement?
These communist inferior tactics may have worked before for Mr Bature and his allies in government but our brothers and sisters in the north and in the Zongo community are too smart for this kind of dirty politics and will never buy into this shallow wayward thinking.
The NDC and its supporters in the media and rented press cannot protect John Mahama from the numerous promises he made to Ghanaians, especially to our brothers and sisters in Northern Ghana and also in the Zongo community and the NPP will work hard and remind them of the dismal failure to fufil these promises such as
The failure of SADA to improve their lives-SADA has become a graveyard where its officials are engaged in endless conferences , meetings ,shuffling papers and holding big files. 250 million dollars was promised and only 25 million Ghana cedis was delivered.
The failure of the government to bring peace and resolve conflicts in the north and the debacle surrounding the Ya Na. Mr Bature and the NDC campaigned and promised to find the murderers including bringing detectives from Scotland Yard what has happened?
The lack of constructive programmes to support and develop our Zongos and create more opportunity for them. The NDC claims to be a champion for the Zongos, Can Mr Bature name a single project done by the NDC since its inception as a political party to develop the Zongos?
With the cedi now the worst performing currency in the world and its depreciation worsening poverty and hardship for all Ghanaians should Alhaji Bature not advice the government especially Mr Mahama and Mr Amissah Arthur to clean up the horrible mess they have created?
Shouldn’t Mr Bature be championing the return of all fraudulent Judgement debts paid by the NDC government including the 51 million Ghana cedis paid to Alfred Agbesi Woyome instead of inciting hatred?

It is time the National Media Commission and the Ghana Journalist Association
stop the reckless behaviour Mr Bature and other journalists who use their newspapers to destabilise the country, create disunity and anarchy .

The President’s continuous silence on these inflammatory statements by Mr Alhaji Bature also makes a mockery of his call for a civil, issues based discourse towards the elections.

Nana Yaw Sarpong, UK
07983302369