Presidential aspirant slams political intolerance

Kumasi, May 4, GNA - Mr Owusu Ankomah, an independent presidential aspirant in the 2000 polls, has denounced the antagonistic postures and growing intolerance among the country's political parties and their followers.

"What makes the whole situation disturbing is the violence and the whipping up of ethnic sentiments that are becoming associated with our political culture".

Mr Ankomah, who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi on Wednesday, said, "This certainly is unhealthy to the growth and sustenance of our multi-party democracy".

He said it was good that a key political actor like the Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama has recognised the enormity of the threat and started speaking against it.

He noted that the country could not make any meaningful headway when there seem to be so much division that every single issue is politicised.

"One would have expected that after elections our agenda as a people would have been to co-operate and work together to wage a relentless battle on poverty, the nation's greatest enemy, but unfortunately and sadly enough, that has not been the case. We are rather making too much noise instead of settling down to tackle the pressing economic problems confronting us", he added. Mr Ankomah said he anticipated such unproductive political rivalry and that was why he never favoured the wholesale adoption of the Western system of democracy.