Member of Parliament for Bongo, Edward Bawa has criticised Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin for urging Muslims to vote for Dr Mahamudu Bawumia based on their shared religious identity, calling the statement irresponsible.
Mr Afenyo-Markin had also accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of marginalising Muslims by removing Haruna Iddrisu from his role as Minority Leader.
The Bongo MP remarked that the current leadership of the majority in Parliament is known for making such divisive statements.
He also pointed out that recently, during an emergency parliamentary session, the Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, claimed that the NDC had caused more environmental damage through galamsey activities than the NPP.
Speaking on the JoyNews AM Show, Mr Bawa said, “Just two or three days ago, we condemned in Parliament the comment made by their whip—about the fact that 'you have polluted water more than us'—to the extent that the Bar Association president felt the need to address it in his speech. You have the same thing happening in the leadership. It is so irresponsible."
He stated that Ghana is a secular state and that positions should be filled based on merit, not religion or background.
Mr Bawa, although a Christian, opposed the removal of Haruna Iddrisu as Minority Leader due to his disagreement with the party's reasons, but a subsequent compromise helped him understand the differing strategies involved.
The MP added that introducing religion into political matters has historically led to conflict in many nations and therefore advised that caution is needed.
“Let us be very careful about that. This is an area that has led many countries to war. I expect someone like Afenyo-Markin to be circumspect when discussing this subject. Let us assess people based on what they can do.”
Credit: Isaac Kafui Nyanyovor