Peace Council condemns Bawumia's religious statement as irresponsible

The National Peace Council has condemned as irresponsible, a statement made by NPP Vice-Presidential candidate, Mahamudu Bawumia, suggesting the Flagstaff House is religiously skewed.

Addressing New Patriotic Party supporters last week at a village in the Sissala East District of the Upper West Region, Dr. Bawumia said, “another major issue that I want to bring to the attention of the people is that; if we look at the flagstaff house today, it does not reflect the people of Ghana in terms of religion”.

He said, “In this country, we are living peacefully and nicely 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 House and I will swear with the Qur'an and enter the flagstaff House.”

But in a statement signed by its Chairman, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante, the Peace Council said, "We find this statement unfortunate, irresponsible, unwarranted, and a recipe for chaos if allowed to go without condemnation."

Please see the full statement below:
BAWUMIA ON POTENTIALLY INFLAMMATORY RELIGIOUS COMMENTS

It has come to the attention of the National Peace Council that the running mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) made statements calling for Muslims to support him because he is a Muslim, while addressing his party supporters at the Sissala East District of the Upper East Region.

He was quoted as saying, “another major issue that I want to bring to the attention of the people is that; if we look at the flagstaff house today, it does not reflect the people of Ghana in terms of religion”.

We find this statement unfortunate, irresponsible, unwarranted, and a recipe for chaos if allowed to go without condemnation.

Elections are contested and won at the polling stations when Ghanaians are convinced with superior policy alternatives. The national constitution did not prescribe the religion to which the occupants of the seat of government must belong.

We find it rather unfortunate that a running mate of the caliber of Dr. Bawumia would stoop this low in inciting religious sentiments in a country where religious sects had peacefully coexisted.

As we head into this year’s elections, we want to urge politicians to be circumspect in their utterances, focus on the challenges facing this country and put forward how they intend to resolve them if given the mandate.

We, therefore, cringe at the careless resort to religious association, rather than policy quality, by Dr Bawumia as a basis for which he should be voted for. If voters begin to be incentivised by their religious association, the consequences of defeat can be dire since they may consider their rejection as rejection of their religion.

By this statement we are calling on all Ghanaians to avoid all political activists who mobilise them along religious lines.

Let us jealously guard our national peace.
Thank you.
Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante,
Chairman,
National Peace Council.