President John Mahama is confident that despite the seeming religious and ethnic intolerance seeping into the Ghanaian society, the nation has the “shock absorbers” to stand any shocks.<\/p>\n
He expressed worry over the recent events between Muslims and the mission schools which some Ghanaians say could threaten the religious and ethnic peace the country has enjoyed for\u00a0years.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”yU5McD9WIDa4qmLDgdUy3HsJxDvYr53t”]The President was\u00a0however optimistic that Ghana\u00a0will come out strong and united, \u201cOur society has the absorbers to withstand these shocks and that is why my heart was gladdened when I noticed the unanimity exhibited in the recent demonstration held in support of equal citizenship,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n
Over the past two weeks, the nation has been engulfed in heated debates over the respect of religious and ethnic rights of every citizen following a demonstration staged by some Muslims in the Western Region<\/strong> <\/span><\/a>to protest against the infringement on their rights by schools and other state institutions.<\/p>\n The President issued a directive<\/strong><\/span><\/a> ordering all heads of institutions to adhere to the constitutional provision which stipulates the respect of religious rights of all citizens.<\/p>\n The National Peace Council is however dealing with all stakeholders to amicably resolve the matters.<\/p>\n Addressing the 58th Independence parade at the Black Star Square in Accra, President Mahama observed that the personalities who partook in the \u201cOne Ghana\u201d demonstration earlier this week is indicative that \u201con both sides of the political divide, we have resolved not to allow ourselves to be divided by ethic or regional sentiments.\u201d<\/p>\n He argued that “our diversity must be a source of strength, not a weakness. Our diversity should be harnessed for the realization of our national interest…Each and everyone of us, in our ethnic and cultural diversity, contributes in a unique way to make our nation great and strong.”<\/p>\n We must celebrate Independence Day<\/strong><\/p>\n The President also discounted claims that due to the many challenges the country is facing, it is unnecessary to celebrate the Independence Day.<\/p>\n According to him, the nation has every cause to celebrate 58 years of gaining independence because some successes have been achieved despite the odds.<\/p>\n He pointed out that 58 years in our history, \u201cwe have made mistakes and we have chalked many successes. We must celebrate and enhance our successes and recognize and minimize our failures.\u201d<\/p>\n President Mahama added that every Ghanaian has in on e way or the other contributed to the country\u2019s collective history \u201cand will be a critical factor in whether we will succeed or fail as a nation.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By: Efua Idan Osam\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
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