Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom has taken on critics of Dr Mensa Otabil, who have been attacking him for calling on citizens to wrest the country from incompetence.

The Progressive People’s Party founder said Ghana will not become a great and strong country with prosperous people if citizens continued to be intolerant of people’s divergent views.

At the launch of a book titled ‘Dare to Dream’ on Albert and Comfort Ocran’s Springboard roadshow, Dr Otabil said: “We can’t just be happy because a road has been done. We can’t just be happy because we didn’t have electricity and now we have electricity,” and called on citizens to rise up and take back their country from the state.

The man of God also said the state must stop “monopolising” and “hijacking” business opportunities from citizens and rather be an “enabler” for private organisations and individuals to do business, and also run the country.

Dr Otabil’s comments were met with harsh criticism from some members of the governing party.

Communications Director of the NDC, Solomon Nkansah, accused Dr Otabil of being biased against the governing party, adding that he was a threat to national security.

In a Facebook response to Dr Otabil’s critics, Dr Nduom wondered: “Should our politics be about development or should it be about personal attacks and insults? Can’t someone, anyone, have an opinion about the state of our nation, good or bad?”

According to him these personal attacks are the reasons “many good and talented people are adamant about not wanting to venture into anything close to politics”.

Below is his full post:

Politics of Intolerance?

I have thought long and hard about this. Should I, should I not? What pushed me over the edge was what I heard on radio this morning coming from the mouth of an NDC communications person in the Elmina/Cape Coast area.

Should our politics be about development or should it be about personal attacks and insults? Can’t someone, anyone have an opinion about the state of our nation, good or bad?

What the leadership of a political party says is repeated at the regional and local levels and in the translation negative utterances of leaders become venomous words in the mouths of the followers. What I heard this morning was a convincing confirmation of this. I will not repeat what this young man said about Pastor Mensa Otabil. And what is Pastor Otabil's crime?

No wonder many good and talented people are adamant about not wanting to venture into anything close to politics. Which is also the reason why many idle hands and minds can be found in the various political parties. The best talent we have as a people are outside the political parties and we have insulting words and dirt throwing to thank for it.

When the Communications Director of the NDC, Solomon Nkansah says on radio that Pastor Otabil was openly biased against the ruling party and was inciting the public against the government; when he describes the Founder of the International Central gospel Church (ICCG), Mensa Otabil, as a threat to national security; that is where I am moved to call for brakes to be applied.

Another writer, a supporter of the NDC has also written, “Folks, I have had several occasions to take on Rev. Mensa Otabil and charlatans of his ilk who are abusing the pulpit to do dirty politics. I haven’t regretted for putting such politically motivated “Men-of-God” where they belong in public discourse regarding the challenges of development facing our country. They are self-seeking noise makers to disregard.”

Really?

Ghana will not become a great and strong country with prosperous people with such display of intolerance. No!