‘Konkombas are behind Mahama’

THE Managing Director of Ghana Supply Company Limited, Dr Joseph Manboah-Rockson, has stated that Konkombas remain solidly behind President John Dramani Mahama and his government in spite of a recent claim that they had been left out of the ministerial appointments of the Mahama administration.

According to him, the claim was one of the unsolicited distractions from psychopathological detractors who are working to court disaffection for the President and his intention to avail himself for the 2016 presidential election.

Speaking after a speech delivered at the annual meeting of the Konkomba Students Union (KONSU) in Tamale, Dr Manboah-Rockson assured President Mahama of Konkombas’ unflinching support for his government.

He described the governing party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), as a political party that has brought qualitative change to Konkomba land, citing the construction of the eastern corridor roads in the Volta and Northern Regions, particularly in Bimbilla township, as evidence.

Some Konkomba leaders, including Daniel Bugri Naabu, Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), recently criticised the NDC government for allegedly neglecting them by not appointing any Konkomba as a cabinet minister to spearhead the development of their area.

He said, “It is noticeable that the current government has no value for Konkombas. The Konkombas have not less than seven members in Parliament, and the NDC government has not appreciated this by appointing some of them to cabinet positions to help spearhead development for the area.”

The only Konkomba Minister in the Mahama administration, Nayon Bilijo, Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, was removed in last year’s cabinet reshuffle leaving Konkombas with no minister.

Earlier, Dr Manboah-Rockson had called Konkombas to reposition themselves as citizens of Ghana, intimating they had lost all their lands due to lack of proper leadership.

According to him, Konkombas needed to elect high calibre of people into leadership positions so as to benefit from such individuals in times of crisis management while making higher education a priority.

“My observations are that Konkombas detest highly educated people. History has it that we as Konkombas are somehow cursed because we do not like people who are educated and capable of helping Konkombas. Instead, we elect people who barely complete high school to champion our cause,” he bemoaned.

The former acting General Secretary of the National Democratic Party added: “And such people mess up or do not perform at all. They go to Parliament only to fulfil their personal ambitions.”

In his view, due to the narrow mindset of Konkombas and other people in the Northern Region, their cultural diversity had, for many years, not served them the building blocks required for ethnic cohesion and integration.

“The virtue of ‘love thy neighbour’ has not been the unifying force in our quest for national development. The truth is that the issue of cultural diversity has brought about ethnic conflicts and tension,” he pointed out.

“Do not be fooled into taking actions that can damage the reputation and godliness of the Konkomba Kingdom. Your singular action can affect the whole, so be careful anytime you are told to embark on a demonstration that is selfish in nature.

“I am talking here about the agitation by several Konkomba youths in the country about the neglect of Konkombas by the ruling NDC government. What do you want the government to do? Like I said from the beginning, what calibre of people have Konkomba communities picked as their MPs?” he asked rhetorically.

Dr Manboah-Rockson said the President could not simply pick anyone just because the person was a Konkomba MP, asserting, “There are qualifications to be met, aside personal contributions.”