The National Democratic Congress swiftly has refuted reports alleging it has made a promise to construct more mortuaries for the Zongo communities.

The report, which the campaign team describes as "misleading and inaccurate", relates to the party's Manifesto promise to the Zongos.

It comes at the back of an interview granted by the former president to TV XYZ and WoezorTV where enumerated a number of interventions aimed at addressing the historical inequalities between Zongo, Deprived Urban Settlements and other communities.

But some media houses made reported the people's manifesto carries a plan to build more mortuaries for the Zongos, which is predominantly Muslim community.

But a statement issued by the spokesperson for the party's campaign team James Agyenim-Boateng has said neither the former President John Mahama nor any member of the party has made such a promise.

"The attention of the JOHN MAHAMA 2020 Campaign has been drawn to a false, misleading and inaccurate claims in publications carried by sections of the online media titled “2020 elections: Mahama promises more mortuaries for Zongo communities,” the campaign team said in a rejoinder.

"For the records, the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr John Dramani Mahama, during a live interview with TV XYZ and Woezor TV, took the opportunity to highlight his party’s proposed interventions in the People’s Manifesto for Zongos and Deprived Urban Settlements."

Muslims have entirely a different culture when it comes to handling of the dead and processes of burials and according to the statement, the flag bearer only spoke about what the party's plans to in "lessening the burden of bereaved Muslims by treating their deceased loved ones in line with accepted practices of the Islamic faith".

Read full statement below

The attention of the JOHN MAHAMA 2020 Campaign has been drawn to a false, misleading and inaccurate claims in publications carried by sections of the online media titled “2020 elections: Mahama promises more mortuaries for Zongo communities”.

For the records, the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr John Dramani Mahama, during a live interview with TV XYZ and Woezor TV, took the opportunity to highlight his party’s proposed interventions in the People’s Manifesto for Zongos and Deprived Urban Settlements.

Reading from page 82 of the NDC’s 2020 manifesto, Mr Mahama mentioned a number of interventions aimed at addressing “the historical inequalities between Zongo, Deprived Urban Settlements and other communities, including the negative effects of the Alien Compliance Order implemented by the Danquah-Busia tradition on Zongos”.

Acknowledging the concerns of Muslims about how traditional mortuaries handle their beloved ones when they pass on, Mr Mahama quoted the specific section of the People’s Manifesto which addresses the issue and aims at lessening the burden of bereaved Muslims by treating their deceased loved ones in line with accepted practices of the Islamic faith.

“So a lot of the Muslim communities have not been happy. And so we say ‘we will facilitate the establishment of mortuaries in accordance with Islamic custom and practices and collaborate with the Ministry of Health to set up focal teams responsible for procedures that are compliant with Islamic custom and practice at all public mortuaries”, he quoted.

For the avoidance of doubt, the said publication is mischievous, deliberately distorted and calculated to whip up anti-Muslim sentiments against the NDC and the JOHN MAHAMA 2020 Campaign.

Muslims, in particular, and the general public are therefore entreated to disregard that offensive publication by treating it with the contempt it deserves.

***END***

JAMES AGYENIM-BOATENG
CAMPAIGN SPOKESPERSON
MONDAY, 21ST SEPTEMBER 2020
TECHIMAN

Source: John Mahama 2020 Campaign team