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26.04.2023 Feature Article

Tribal And Religious Bigotry Will Only Lead To Disunity!

Tribal And Religious Bigotry Will Only Lead To Disunity!
26.04.2023 LISTEN

I write today's piece with a very heavy heart. My heart bleeds for this nation. The bleeding stems from the fact that the country's only hope, the Great Elephant, is being killed slowly.

Yes, those riding on the Great Elephant have, once again, started playing with the self-destruction button.

They have forgotten so soon how bickering and in-fighting made them handover power to the eagle-headed Umbrella on a silver platter in the 2008 polls.

The perks of power have made them so comfortable that they've forgotten how the struggle for power by 17 aspirants served as a catalyst for their loss in the 2008 polls.

As I mused sometime back, when heavy clouds are gathering and you have clothes hanging on the drying line, the wisest thing to do is to hurriedly remove the clothes. You also hurriedly call your carpenter to fix your dangling roofing sheets, don't you?

Unfortunately, the exact opposite is what we are seeing in the Elephant's camp. It is when the weather had frowned outside with rains threatening to pour that you see them hanging their clothes on the drying line and irrationally removing their roofing sheets.

In case you are still wondering, the so-called Alan-Bawumia power struggle is what I refer to.

The power-struggle which started early in President Nana Dee’s 2nd term is becoming murkier by the day. I feel like puking when I hear the Alan faction engage in tribal and religious bigotry.

Need we remind them that tribal and religious bigotry will only lead to disunity in the party? Of course, things are not so rosy. But is it not better to drum home the successes chalked up by the Nana Dee government so far than campaign on the “No Action Talk Only” (NATO) policy? Are they oblivious of the fact that the chances of the party's next flag-bearer is dependent on Nana Dee's 2nd term performance?

The economy is gradually being revived. It is gratifying to see the “Agenda 111” project progressing steadily. Roads and other infrastructural projects are also being completed by the day by a so-called collapsed economy. Public sector workers receive their salaries every moon when due? Is this what they refer to as a NATO economy?

Like all two-party systems, the only alternative to the Elephant in this country is the Umbrella. But the hopelessness and the wanton looting of the country's resources witnessed under the reign of the Umbrella between 2009 and 2016 make me shudder to even imagine seeing Zu-za back on the presidential throne. This country cannot survive another “create, loot and share” scheme.

It is thus unfortunate that a critical look at the happenings in the camp of the Elephant does not also inspire any hope. The bickering, name-calling and vicious in-fighting in the name of presidential leadership do not give a picture of a party thinking of the downtrodden.

Indeed, what shall it benefit a Kukrudite to win the flag-bearership contest only to create division in his party and lose the presidential throne to President Ogwanfunu?

It's obvious that those engaging in the needless power struggle have forgotten President Kufuor's wise counsel: “Let's unite as a party. I have said this before; I would rather be a messenger in a winning party taking over government, than be a proud General Secretary of a losing party which would be in opposition.”

Suffice to say many party folks are not enthused at the way some Nana Dee appointees treat them, but they are still content to have the opportunity to visit such appointees. Obviously, such an opportunity wouldn't even be there if the party wasn't in power.

I therefore humbly add mine to the voices entreating all members of the Osono family to heed the call for unity and sacrifice, because the cry of the he-goat that finds the butcher's knife at his neck is TRAGEDY.

See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente!

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