Opinions of Sunday, 26 July 2020

Columnist: Nuhu Abdul Ganiyu Kantamah

Has politics come to divide families?

Nuhu Abdul Ganiyu Kantamah, Writer Nuhu Abdul Ganiyu Kantamah, Writer

Politics entails how people living in groups take decisions. It is all about how people make agreements on how to live together in groups vis-a-vis tribes, cities, or countries.

Coming to think of recent happenings in our communities especially the newly created Savannah Region with regards to the ongoing voters registration exercise and how people of the same descend who previously live and dine together have taken axes on one another, I begin to ask if politics has come to divide us as a family.

There is never a family that belongs to one political party. No matter what; a brother, sister, and or aunty may belong to one whilst you belong to the other.

Recently when the former General Secretary of NPP and CEO of Forestry Commission of Ghana died, it was worth listening to the General Secretary of NDC giving an account on his relationship with the late CEO and extending a helping hand to his family.

It’s a worth emulating the likes of John Jinapor and Samuel Jinapor who are brothers but in different political parties having served/serving at key positions in government both past and present.

Have we seen them picking machetes on each other?

How many of our political party leaders or parliamentary candidates will allow their sons and daughters to engage in vigilantism?

Whilst you and I ignorantly picks machetes on one another, our political party leaders/parliamentary candidates are busily securing scholarships for their children to study abroad whilst we wallow in abject poverty.

Ironically, those of us who go in and out carrying machetes are often placed on bench whilst the most silent enjoys in government.

Let’s engage in politics of ideas and not politics of muscles.

Irrespective of our political affiliation, we are one people with a common destiny.

Ghana is the only country we have.

Let’s use our guns in fighting poverty not one another.

Thanks.