Opinions of Monday, 23 February 2015

Columnist: Sarpong, Justice

Mr Osafo Marfo Is Right, Ndc Should Stop Its Bigotry Politics

Who told Fantes in Central region that "Adze wo fie a oye" so Fantes should vote for him, Ndc hypocrites? It was the so called "Asomdwehene" President Mills who also told some people that there is something called Ashanti project that needs to be contained?

Who went to the Northern region and said it is the turn of a Northerner to become a President and as a Northerner and one of them, he should be voted for not because he is the best man for the job but him being a Gonja and from the North entitles him to the Presidency? President Mahamah is the one who said this. It is this same President Mahamah that said Kumasi people even if he paves the roads there with gold will not appreciate him. I guess Ndc will agree with any bigoted nonsense directed to Akans especially Asantes as fair but woe to anyone bold enough to state the obvious as the said Osafo Marfo tape is alleged to have stated and the Ndc attacking dogs like Omane Boamah and Kpessah Whyte will comminate their political and tribal bigotry.

Are we to assume NDC, Ewes and Northerners can use their tribes for political campaigns but Akans cannot? Who appointed these Ndc people as tribal Police to issue tribal tickets?

The alleged Mr Osafo Marfo tape that entreats Akans to be aware of their natural resources being used by people who come from areas without or with little natural resources is creating babelism amongst the Ndc officials and their supporters.

From the alleged tape which is mostly recorded in Twi with intercepts of English here and there, Mr Osafo Marfo supposedly said Akan-speaking people, whose regions are rich with natural resources, are not the ones at the helm of managing those resources.You have all the resources, but you have no say in the management of your resources and that is what is happening. Your development depends on the one who has no resources.

I personally do not agree with the idea that people from those regions with natural resources should be the only people that can be Presidents but it is true that 86.5 percent of resources in Ghana come from five regions: Brong Ahafo, Ashanti, Eastern, Western and Central. This is where 86 percent of the resources of Ghana come from... And the oil was also discovered in the West. It will change the formula to about 90 percent. We cannot ignore these five regions.

According to the acting National Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS) Dr. Michael Whyte Kpessa the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) is "preaching ethnic bigotry".

This is the kind of language another Ewe, Dr Agama stated in the 1970 that got a reply from Mr Victor Owusu about Ewes being inward looking. It seems to me these Northern tribes and Ewes have a carte blanche card to accuse Akans of being bigots whenever Akans state the obvious facts whilst these two groups can embark with their bigotry with impunity. Not to be outdone when a microphone is available, Omane Boamah too has this to say;

"Communications Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah has urged former Finance Minister, Yaw Osafo Marfo to immediately apologise for the tribal comments that he is alleged to have made in order to regain his reputation in Ghanaian politics."

Let me give Omane Boamah and Kpessah Whyte a good advice. If they have any good advice about how not to be a bigot, they should first walk from their offices not too far from that of the President of Ghana called President Mahamah to stop inciting tribal hatred before they can advise Mr Osafo Marfo whose statement is a factual truth.I know Omane Boamah and Kpessa Whytes are thaumaturges who can change things so they should walk to President Mahamah's office and advise him to learn how to build a bridge of unity to all tribal towns in Ghana instead of building a bridge of disunity by stopping his "I AM ONE OF YOU NORTHERNERS" political slogans for the Northern votes.

Did the tribal comments by Presidents Mills and Mahamah destroy their political career? If it did not destroy their political career, why should it destroy that of Osafo Marfo? Is it because he is Akyem and Npp he has no right to say what Ewes and Northerners in Ndc say with impunity?

Why should we use more than 40 percent of all infrastructure development money in Accra alone whilst all the other regions are neglected? Leave Osafo Marfo alone, it is time Akan regions demand what is theirs, no more backing down.

What irks me to the high heavens is the posturing of the 'Eminent' Ghanaian pollster, Ben Epson's take on this issue. According to Mr Epson, the governing party could take advantage of the comments for political capital ahead of the 2016 elections just as the party did ahead of the 2012 elections regarding a similar tribalistic comment made by NPP flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo at the time.

What this tells me is that, it is the other tribes in Ghana who are bigots and not Akans. Now Ben Epson has accepted Ndc used tribal division to win the 2012 elections. Was it not the same election circle that President Mahamah told the Northern tribes to vote for him because he is a Gonja? Is Epson telling me it is alright for Ndc and Northerner Mahama to campaign by using their tribe as a buffer but an Akan and Npp should not? Despite what Mahama said, he won in the Akan regions, Brong-Ahafo, Central and Western regions without the Akans in those regions using his bigotry statement against him so why shouldn't the so called tribal puritans in NDC from the three Northern regions and Volta region can differentiate a personal statement supposedly made by Mr Osafo Marfo from an Npp political position?

I personally believe this tape was doctored by an Ndc scribe who in his haste to crucify Mr Osafo Marfo made a glaring one big mistake.

This tape is alleged to have said Mr Osafo Marfo, who is an Akyem by birth stated this;

"You can't say this openly," he cautioned the Council members, but added that they are at liberty to talk about it among Asantes."

Why should Mr Osafo Marfo tell these delegates from Eastern Region they are at liberty to talk about this amongst Asantes but no one else? Does it mean Mr Osafo Marfo doesn't even trusthis own Akyem tribe?

Secondly, why will Mr Marfo say this to people from Eastern region who are mostly not Asantes not to discuss this with their own people because they can't trust them but he Osafo Marfo can trust these Elders from Eastern region who I think were some Krobos, Adas and other tribes?

The Ndc propaganda political fabricator who doctored this tape assumed Osafo Marfo is an Asante and as a political party that hates Asantes, this statement was inserted to contue the anti Asante political project President Mills stated.

Justice Sarpong

(CARDINAL of TRUTH)