2024 election: Religious politics dangerous to Ghana’s democracy; must not be entertained – Richard Kasu
The Executive Director for Community Focus Foundation, Ghana (CFF-Ghana), Richard Kasu has urged Ghanaian electorates to vote for candidates with a high level of integrity and credibility in the 2024 General Election and not based on religious affiliation.
He said this while speaking at a Joint Civil Society Organizations (CSO) press conference on Monday, February 26, held by CFF-Ghana and Democratic Credentials Network Ghana (DCN-Ghana).
Addressing the press conference, Richard Kasu lamented statements made by Ali Suraj, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in a video circulating on social media.
In the video circulating online, the NPP member calls on Muslims to vote for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in the 2024 General Election since he is a Muslim just like them.
Richard Kasu in his speech said the Joint CSOs deem such comments as tribal and religious bigotry, adding that they tend to harm the country’s democracy by fueling conflicts among various religious groups.
“Religious politics is burning grounds for unresolved protracted conflicts in some neighboring African countries and Ghana mustn’t avail itself for same because religious and tribal induced conflicts come at a high cost. Contributions to Ghana’s democratic discourse should not be grounded on religious and tribal lines as the NPP man sought to do,” Mr. Kasu strongly argued.
He said the Joint CSOs are completely against any such ethnocentric comment in any shape or form.
Richard Kasu in his interaction with the media advised Ghanaians not to vote for anybody or political party based on tribe or religion.
He noted that Ghanaians should vote for people with high levels of integrity, vision, credibility, honesty and competence.
The CSOs want the National Peace Council, Office of the National Chief Imam, Christian Council, Bishop Conference, Islamic Clerics, and peace advocates among other relevant religious stakeholders to condemn all forms of tribal and religious comments ahead of the 2024 General Election.
The Joint CSOs assured Ghanaians that their initiative will continue to put the political class and state institutions including the electoral management body, the EC in check to ensure that the upcoming general elections are held freely and fairly with a credible outcome accepted by all citizens
Read the statement delivered by Richard Kasu at the press conference below.
JOINT CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS (CSOs) PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY RICHARD KASU, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CFF-GHANA ON THE DANGERS OF RELIGIOUS AND TRIBAL POLITICS IN GHANA AT 37 OFFICERS MESS CONFERENCE ROOM ON MONDAY, 26TH FEBRUARY, 2024.
Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press!
Let me welcome you on behalf of the organizers of this press conference which includes leading Civil Society Organizations such as CFF-Ghana and Democratic Credentials Network Ghana (DCN-Ghana) and to also thank you for coming at such a short notice.
Friends of the Media, as you are aware, our nation, Ghana is heading to her general elections in December this year. The political atmosphere is becoming tensed with disinformation, misinformation, tribal and religious sentiments taking center stage. The repercussions of these unhealthy developments could be dire should we sit aloof without speaking against issues that threatens our very existence as a people so far as the 2024 elections are concerned.
In view of the above, it has become necessary to jointly address the press and put the troubling issues to the fore for collective advocacies to saving our fledgling democracy of 32 years from collapse.
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, indeed, religious divisions and ethnic identities are still the most important sources of conflict in Africa today. Before delving into the details of the issue, kindly permit me to highlight some salient examples attesting to the persistence of these destabilizing factors in the Africa Region. For instance, in April 1994, Rwanda witnessed a deadly genocide triggered by underlying tribal sentiments in which over 800,000 Rwandans including the Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred within the first 100days. Furthermore, religious and tribal differences were at the heart of the terrible conflicts like the Biafran War and the emergent of Boko haram in Nigeria. The instability witnessed in Liberia and Sierra Leone some time past was caused by tribalism. The Algerian civil war between the government and Islamic groups; the constant tensions in Tunisia; the bloody civil war in post-Qaddafi Libya and the tension between the army and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt are all examples of tribal and religious politics.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, it is important to note that Ghana is the only country in the sub-Saharan Africa to have escaped the effects of tribal and religious politics due to the sensitivities and tolerance attached to same.
For the records, we have seen an individual believed to be a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in a viral video preaching to a section of Muslims giving a background that because Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia is a Muslim they must vote for a must a Muslim during the upcoming national elections. The #safeguarding Our Democracy Initiative# led by Community Focus Foundation Ghana (CFF-Ghana) condemns in no uncertain terms the tribal and religious bigotry statement made by the said NPP member. Religious politics is dangerous to Ghana’s democracy and gives politicians the opportunity to escape responsibility and accountability. Also, religious politics is burning grounds for unresolved protracted conflicts in some neighboring African countries and Ghana mustn’t avail itself for same because religious and tribal induced conflicts come at a high cost. Contributions to Ghana’s democratic discourse should not be grounded on religious and tribal lines as the NPP man sought to do.
Our initiative is completely against any such ethnocentric comment in any shape or form. That, we strongly advise Ghanaians not to vote for anybody or political party on the basis of tribe or religion. Ghanaians should vote for people with high level of integrity, vision, credibility, honesty and competence. Leaders of a country should possess certain qualities and not a brother or sister of the same faith who do not have the capacity to deliver.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, we are by this Press Conference calling on the NPP leadership and the Vice President, His Excellency Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia to as a matter of urgency disassociate themselves from the reckless and nation wracking religious bigotry statement made by one of their own to prove their level of religious tolerance in Ghana.
We are also drawing the attention of the National Peace Council, Office of the National Chief Imam, Christian Council, Bishop Conference, Islamic Clerics, and peace advocates among other relevant religious stakeholders to the troubling therein and call them to condemn the NPP if they don’t come out to disassociate themselves from their member who made the very unfortunate statement in his quest to woo Muslims to vote for Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia
In conclusion, we want to assure the Ghanaian people that our Initiative will continue to put the political class and state institutions including the electoral management body, the EC in check to ensuring that the upcoming general elections are held freely and fairly with a credible outcome accepted by all citizens. That is the only way to safeguard our democracy!