Political Intolerance: Who Will Chime The Cat?

Once upon a time, there was a story attributable to the appearance of an Angel of God before three people: a Mallam, Evangelist, and an Atheist. The Angel asked them to make a wish that would ensure peaceful co-existence among their people.

The Mallam said he would wish that one religion prevailed, and no single Christians remained on the face of the earth. The Evangelist said he would wish that every Muslim perished from the face of the earth; while the Atheist said, “I shall be well pleased if you will attend to the wishes of these two.”

Metaphorically, this story depicts the height of Political intolerance, and factional divide that is currently pervading our society in general, particularly, in New Patriotic Party. This situation must pose a serious concern to peace loving people of our great country, while some of our leaders or politicians remain indifferent.

According to our biblical readings, a letter from St. Paul to the Ephesians (2: 19-22) extols us to regard one another as fellow citizens of the household of God or Allah, as the case may be, and not as strangers or visitors in our own land!

There should be no room whatsoever for discrimination among the people of God, if we actually believe in what we profess as true Christians or true Muslims.

In New Patriotic, everyone should feel a sense of belonging, irrespective of wherever we found ourselves. There should be no excuse for favoritism, mediocrity, and discrimination in the appointment of people to serve their party.

As people of “One Party,” and as true Christians and Muslims, we are supposed to be each other’s keeper in the household of God; it should remain that way in practical terms wherever we found ourselves.

It stands to reason that if the Flagbearer of NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo wants a “Change,” being the watch-word of his New Patriotic Party, invariably; he must strive assiduously to dismantle every barrier that cuts across the people of NPP first and Ghana as a whole.

Regrettably, so far, there is little or no sign for such happening, but all hope is not gone. However, the late Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Either we live together in fraternity or we perish together as fools.” A word is enough for the wise, is a popular adage!

Anyways, if you are asking what I meant by political intolerance, here you are with my take; political tolerance means accepting and respecting the basic rights and civil liberties of persons and groups whose viewpoints differ from one's own. All citizens, including political leaders, have a responsibility to practice political tolerance in their words and actions. As a clear rejection of "might makes right," political tolerance is a key principle of democracy.

As an ideal, democracy upholds that members of the society should treat each other, and be treated, as equals. Underlying democracy is the acceptance and respect of the other. Democratic life is both the right to differ as well as the acceptance of such difference by all. Democracy implies respect for the plurality of views and virtues of dialogue as a means of resolving conflict.

Political intolerance is engendered by a willingness to restrict the rights of a disliked person or group based on their differing views. It represents a threat to democracy since it discriminates against and may even silence certain parts of the population. Intolerance creates a conformist culture and a closed society, which narrows citizens’ perceptions of politics and shapes their subsequent behavior.

A culture of tolerance involves debate and dynamic exchanges of opinions and arguments, whereby people can learn from others, get closer to the truth, and benefit from a vital public life. Developing a culture of tolerance is a long term undertaking that removes the roots of intolerance and is necessary for the democratic process.

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