Politics of Monday, 3 December 2012

Source: The Herald

Ga Chiefs Chase Kofi Kapito Over Loose Talk

The chiefs and people of Ga-Dangme, in the Greater Accra Region, are fuming with anger and demanding an unqualified apology from the people they describe as “tenants” politicians who have made it their stock in trade to denigrate people of Ga at the least opportunity in the media.

Their anger follows the comments made by a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kofi Kapito on an Accra-based radio station “Pravda FM” where he called the chiefs and people of Ga as “useless people”.

The Herald is informed that the chiefs are planning a damning statement on Kofi Kapito’s comments that Ga people and Chiefs are “useless people” during a radio programme.

The derogatory statement has been broadcast on several radio stations over the past few days and has greatly affected the sensibilities of the entire Ga state.

According to the source, “it is most unfortunate but factual, that the infraction against the Ga-Dangme people in recent times seems skewed in one direction and very worrying”, adding “our home (Accra) which is the national capital is fast becoming unsafe because of unguarded statements made by persons like Kofi Kapito.”

The source says that the chiefs wonder why the presidential candidates will come to Mantse Agbonaa, appealing to the Ga-Dangme people to vote for them, but are unable to condemn serious insults, ethnocentric and genocidal comments made by some key political personalities, especially those from the NPP stock against them.

The Herald source recalled how Kennedy Agyepong, a promoter of “Ethnic Supremacy” called for the Gas and people from the other tribes to be killed, the “Yen Akanfo” and “all-die-be-die” mantra of a presidential candidate, which is yet to be retracted, adding “these intemperate declarations are still are still fresh on our minds as we go to vote”.

The source laments that “we note with great trepidation that the NPP and its Presidential Candidate have still not come before us to apologize and therefore it can be assumed he endorses the offensive statement since the NPP Chairman (himself a Ga) organized a welcome party for Hon. Kennedy Agyapong when he was released from police custody.”

The source also points to the comments made by the Minority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, that Ga people are unfit to occupy the Vice-Presidential position slot of the NPP regardless of their qualification or contribution to the party.

It hinted that restive youth from Ga, have had to be restrained from the venting their anger and displeasure at those they refer to as their “disrespectful tenant(s)”.

It said that chiefs will call on “all well-meaning Ghanaians who share our concerns to seriously consider which party to vote for, in particular all Ga-Dangmes to be circumspect and vote for party (ies) who show respect to our culture, wish us well and alive (not dead), will not plunder our lands, using state machinery, have concrete developmental plans for us and are for peace.