Politics of Thursday, 18 April 2013

Source: Daily Guide

Stop tribal politics – Mensah Bonsu

Minority leader and MP for Suame in Kumasi, Hon. Kyei Mensah Bonsu, has lashed at a known President Mahama boy in Kumasi, Fuseini Donkor, for engaging in tribal politics.

The astute politician sternly cautioned Donkor, an up-and-coming politician to shun tribal comments, especially when on radio, if he wanted to go far in his political career.

Fuseini Donkor, speaking on Otec FM’s political programme dubbed ‘Dawberen’, claimed the rampant industrial actions in the country was calculated to make President Mahama, a Northerner, unpopular.

He observed another Northerner, the late ex-President Limann, suffered similar fate when he was voted as President in 1981, claiming some people do not want to see a Northerner on the seat of the president.

Reacting to Donkor’s statement, the minority leader said it was totally wrong and unfounded for anybody to claim that sections of the populace did not want a Northerner to become president.

Hon. Mensah Bonsu sternly warned Donkor not to pass such dangerous tribal comments in public since they had the potential of polarizing the country on tribal lines, which was not healthy for Ghana’s peace.

Politicians, he noted, should always be circumspect with their comments especially on radio to avert a possible clash of tribes which could draw the country’s development back.

The minority leader insisted that Ghanaians, irrespective of their political, tribal or religious affiliations, were one people with a common destiny so nobody should try to divide them with foul comments.

Fuseini Donkor, speaking on the same show hosted by Don Dada, accused Hon. Mensah Bonsu of not being visible at his constituency. He said the minority leader is always in Accra, leaving his constituents to suffer.

Reacting to this issue, Hon. Mensah Bonsu debunked the rumour, stressing that despite his workload as the minority leader, he always tried his best to visit his constituency periodically.

According to him, he has never turned his back at his constituents on whose ticket he was serving in the august house, warning Donkor to stop peddling rumours, check his facts and come out again.

The NPP law maker said his constituents could attest to the fact that he had always been visible in the area and he was also contributing his quota to develop the area to an appreciable level.