Let's work to commit NPP, NDC to good temperament - Dr Arthur Kennedy urges

A leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Arthur Kobina Kennedy has called on Ghanaians to work  to restore control of the two major parties — NPP and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) — to people of commonsense, tolerance and good temperament so that the country for many generations, will know and have peace.

Reacting to comments made by the NPP's vice-presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, which have been condemned as inflammatory, Dr Kennedy stated 'Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has joined the ranks of those dividing us.'

Addressing party supporters in the Sissala East Constituency in the Upper West Region at the weekend, Dr Bawumia said the seat of the current NDC government did not adequately mirror the two dominant religious groups in Ghana.

Presidency accused
He accused the presidency of being biased against Muslims in the country and then urged them to vote for the NPP in the upcoming elections to bring religious balance to the presidency.

'...In this country, we are living peacefully and nicely as Muslims and Christians. So we believe in the NPP that Christians and Muslims should work together and that is why whenever we pick a President as a Christian, we pick a Muslim as a Vice."

"And when we come and pick a Muslim as a President, we will pick a Christian as a Vice. So if Insha Allah, Nana Akufo-Addo becomes President, he will swear with the Bible and enter the Flagstaff and I will swear with the Quran and enter the Flagstaff House,' 

"So that when we combine the Quran and the Bible, Ghana will be the major beneficiary. The blessings of God will be upon Ghana if we have the two religions in the Flagstaff House," he ended.

His comments have since aroused condemnation from the general public.

Condemning Bawumia
But in a statement titled 'Et tu, Bawumia?' Dr Kennedy claimed that last week, the NPP presidential running-mate said, "There are not enough Muslims at the Flagstaff House". 

Ironically, Dr Kennedy pointed out that Dr Bawumia 'did not tell us whether there are enough of those who are neither Christians nor Muslims.'

'I do not need to be long-winded in this. I condemn Dr Bawumia for the same reasons I condemned Madam Ativor,' he stated.

In the view of Dr Kennedy, Dr Bawumia 's late father, who was respected as a consensus builder, could turn in his grave today. 

'Those who joined me in condemnation of Madam Ativor last week should be condemning Dr Bawumia. Those who defended Madam Ativor should be defending Dr Bawumia. They are joined in spirit — in the service of intolerance. Whoever defends one and condemns the other is insincere,' he stated.

According to Dr Kennedy, Dr Bawumia had a fine mind on economics. His descent into intolerance must give all of us pause. Maybe, it is not power that corrupts but politics. It seems that even when good people join politics, instead of making it better, they are corrupted by it. Today, let Madam Ativor and Dr Bawumia remind us of the mindless ambition and intolerance which, yoked to the "My party right or wrong" ethos, will destroy our country.

Keep NPP out of power
It will be recalled that Madam Dzifa Attivor at an NDC rally in the Volta Region recently charged party supporters in the region to keep the NPP out of power otherwise people from the Volta Region who are members of the governing NDC would be jailed.

She cited Victor Selormey and Dan Abodapki, two former NDC government officials jailed for causing financial loss to the state as examples of NPP's persecution of Ewes.

The former minister also suggested that she was very likely to spend time in prison if the NPP was voted into power.

Madam Attivor resigned her ministerial position last year following the controversial bus branding saga.

The tribal comments by both Dr Bawumia and Madam Ativor have been condemned by many people and some governance institutions as things that needed not to be encouraged in the body politics of the country.