MrAlban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, Second Deputy Speaker and Member of Parliamentfor Nadowli/Kaleo has cautioned against politicising issues on grounds of ethnicity and Religion.
“Ghana is a unitarystate and we cannot afford to sacrifice our lovely country on the altar ofethnicity and religion, which will end up dividing us as a people.
Mr Bagbin who wasspeaking to the Ghana News Agency on his political career and recent ethniccomments said Ghana was moving on and therefore reducing her to ethnicity andreligious lines could undermine the gains she made over the years.
The Member ofParliament also cautioned the media against wrong reportage that could createproblems especially on issues of ethnicity and religion.
The MP forNadowli/Kaleo and Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament particularly cautionedthe media against the alleged friction between the Ashantis and Akyems addingthat; “these are not issues we want to be hearing as they are not so healthy.”
He faulted the mediafor what he said was an unfortunate attempt to whip up an Akyem and Ashantifault line from the issue saying ‘it is not fair andreminded those who tried tostir up the matter that irrespective of who a person was in a given context,the person was first and foremost a Ghanaian.
“Ghana, is the supremeowner of all its citizens and from the perspective of Mother Ghana, all itscitizens are Ghanaians, “not Akyems, Ashantis among others.”
“We live in a countryin which everybody is a relative to somebody because even inter-tribal marriagesalone have ensured that we do not truly have tribal identities, it is thereforesad that some people would try to whip up tribal hatred between Ashantis andAkyems.” Mr Bagbin said.
The Legislatorreminded that Ghana was a shining example to the world because even though thecountry arguably had a high number of different ethnic groups living together,she had never experienced a civil war.
The Asantehene,Otumfuo Osei Tutu ll had expressed his displeasure about how some high ups ofthe ruling party were trying to pitch him against the Akyems when someexecutives of the ruling party paid a courtesy call on him.
Following from that,the Ghanaian media went to town, reporting the issue in a way that heightenedtensions between the Ashantis and the Akyems.
In swift response,President Akufo-Addo met Otumfuo in Kumasi to smoothen issues with theAsantehene.
Mr Bagbin laudedPresident Akufo-Addo for the move, saying “it was timely and well thought out”and also thanked Otumfuo for hosting the dialogue and smoking the fatherlyadvice to government.
He admonished themedia to be circumspect about reporting on supposed tribal differences infuture saying it did not serve the interest of Ghana well to stoke suchsentiments if even they exist.
“In Ghana, everybodycounts and this is well registered in our history. In our fight againstcolonialism for instance, Fantes, Ashantis, Akyems, Gas, Ewes, Dagombas, andpeople from various tribes were involved. They all shirked off their tribalidentities and went under the banner of Ghana.
“We owe it toourselves to keep it that way, because this oneness has served us very well.”
GNA
