A member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Kobina Arthur Kennedy has added his voice to calls for the President to apologize to residents in the Ashanti Region.
The President, John Mahama during his three-day working visit to the region urged the supporters of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) not to be discouraged by the unappreciative posturing of some residents towards the government.
His statement has generated debates in the media, with some critics accusing the President of tribalism and engaging in divisive politics.
The Information and Media Relations Minister, Mahama Ayariga has defended the President’s comment saying, it is a true reflection of what happens in our society, adding that, it is the duty of the President to talk about the existence of such practices.
In an interview with Citi News however, Dr. Arthur Kennedy said, the President should know better and questioned why President Mahama did not make similar comments in his recent working visits to other regions.
“Why wouldn’t he say the same thing in Bole or in Tamale, where the northerners have always been rooting for the NDC? Why wouldn’t he say this in Ho? So it leads to a lot of questions.”
Dr. Arthur Kennedy wondered if the import of the President’s statement is to reduce the number of developmental projects ongoing in regions perceived to have less support for the current government.
He alleged that the President, during the 2012 electioneering period “he was telling northerners that if they wanted a President, they should vote for him and I am told that even after his comment in Kumasi, he went to the mosque” and made other tribalistic comments.”
The one-time NPP presidential aspirant described such comments as “very dangerous which undermines our cohesion as a society.”
He however admitted that President Mahama is not the only politician in Ghana “who does that but he is the most visible example and most people should expect better from the President.”
By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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