The Nasara Wing of the New Patriotic Party has described as childish, infantile and comical the attempt by Fiifi Kwetey, a deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, to blame the NPP for the attack he has received over his purported claim that no Muslim could ever become the president of the nation.
The group has also added its voice to the incessant calls on the deputy Minister to apologise to Muslims for “the shameful and thoughtless insults he subjected Muslims to when he met the United States officials which has been captured in leaked US cables and stop justifying it.”
The group says apologising to the Muslim community will be a more honourble thing to do than to go about blaming the NPP for the harm he has caused himself and ruling National Democratic Congress.
A statement signed by Sulemana Abubakar, Nasara Club Coordinator, took a serious exception to Fiifi Kwetey’s attempt to blame the NPP for the insults and denigration he peddled about Muslims as reported by wiki leaks.
“The attempt to blame the NPP is childish, infantile, laughable and comical,” the statement stressed.
“Concerning Vice President Mahama's Muslim faith, Kwetey said religion is an important factor in Ghanaian politics and that many Christian Ghanaians would never vote for a Muslim presidential candidate. While most Ghanaians would not admit this openly, Kwetey said a Muslim could not be elected President of Ghana’. This what the deputy minster said about Muslims, according to the leaked US diplomatic cables.
The NPP Nasara Club says “this statement is insensitive; it is crass and denigrating to Muslims,” wondering: “What has this statement got to do with NPP?”
According to the statement, the deputy Minister also sought to say that the choice of Alhaji Aliu Mahama as running mate to then President Kufuor was merely a window dressing.
“How can a position of Vice President, the number 2 man in Ghana, be a window dressing?” the statement questioned.
The statement drew attention to the fact that the NPP had consistently chosen Muslim running mates in 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2008, adding that the loss the former Vice President Aliu Mahama suffered in the 2007 presidential primary could not have been a rejection of Muslims by the party.
The statement questioned why the NDC rejected Mohammed Mumuni as running mate to President Mills and why they also rejected Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu at their presidential primary. “Is it because they don’t like Muslims?” it asked.
“Fiifi Kwetey has profited from wild eyed vile propaganda. He once accused the NPP of stealing Ghana’s gold reserves and masterminded the printing of fake bank accounts. Fiifi gives great credence to the description of the Mills’ team as inexperienced people,” the statement added.