In the centre spread of the Ghanaian Times issue of yesterday, we carried the report of the call of the Vice President, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia that, politics should be done in Ghana, devoid of tribal sentiments.
He is quoted to have said that politicians who prey on the tribal sentiments of Ghanaians for power do not deserve the support of the citizenry, and in essence, deserve no leadership roles in the progress and forward march of the country.
The Ghanaian Times is very happy with the stance of the Vice President. Indeed, we believe he was speaking the minds of a silent majority of our compatriots who cringe at the length to which politics is taking the country by the tribal anchor on which it is hinged, in contemporary times.
We need not reel ourselves over this, knowing very well the tribal sentimentalities which characterise our discussions and views of political trends and events in the media, airwaves, workplaces and even the churches and other places of worship.
Many have taken entrenched positions and do not appreciate anything from people we deem our opponents or rivals. It gets murkier and worse when these discussions and newpoints are made in traditional or tribal languages, irrespective of venue or milieu.
It is sad seeing or hearing people tearing each other apart, throwing themselves into tantrums and shouting themselves hoarse over issues that could be amicably settled through simple dialogue and communication.
What politicians and all who want to assume leadership should know is that Ghana is a homogenous country with its citizenry cutting across all corners. The spread is so massive that one cannot pin the people of a unique linguistic stock to a particular place or box any group of people to any specific geographical location; we are all everywhere, to put it colloquially. So why the sentimentalities and confusion all around?
We inter-marry, we school together, raise national teams and conduct all our businesses and affairs in the spirit of one nation, one people, (with) one destiny. And this is the hallmark which has characterised Ghana, our beloved country over the years and made us the reference point of greater world, if not the West African sub-region in particular.
This is the reason why we are enthused with the Vice President; Ghanaians need development; we want to have our facilities improved; we need measures which would ensure the prudent use of our resources for the public and common good; we need policies which would see our children in school, and assurance of quality functional education; we need hospitals such as the Klefe Community Health Centre in the Volta Region, for which funds were being raised all over the country, to be assured of good health care.
These are the dreams of every Ghanaian, and we need a very clement environment, to be guaranteed all that.
Within this context, we cannot but agree with Dr Bawumia, that going forward, Ghana should re-position itself to carry partisan politics beyond the ethnic level, to promote national unity and pursue set development goals.
It is only in an avenue of peace and commitment to maintaining cordial ties with each other as individuals and neighbours and communities that the development we yearn for can be achieved.
Thus politicians and all those in leadership should not crave for power insatiably; they should not create fear and alarm among the populace unnecessarily, nor engage in name-calling campaigns against perceived or imagined opponents. These do not engender growth and advancement.
The Vice President has spoken. Let’s all listen to his admonition and Ghana would be the better for it. Let’s give his Excellency the required ears. We wish Ghana well!
