NPP, NDC guilty of politics of insult – Catholic Bishops

The Secretary-General of the Catholic Bishops Conference, Reverend Father Lazarus Anondee, has accused the two major political parties of engaging in name-calling and politics of insult.

“I think that both parties are guilty of it. it’s not just the candidates, it’s the parties. You don’t need to vilify anybody in order to win votes, you rather have to win the other person with superior arguments.

“That is what we need in Ghana.  Everybody’s contribution matters, so we should respect each other. There must be genuine respect when we are playing politics,” he said.

His comments came after controversy erupted over the NDC flagbearer’s decision to share an article by Bolga Central MP, Isaac Adongo on Facebook in which he labelled some individuals in government as ‘Akyem-Sakawa boys and Grandpas’.

At a meeting with members of the Catholics Bishops Conference, President Akufo-Addo complained bitterly over the Facebook post shared by the Former President.

“It is completely unacceptable. If I were to get up to make comments about Northerners or Gonjas, you can imagine the uproar that would be in the country,” the President lamented.

But speaking on Accra-based Starr FM, Reverend Father Lazarus Anondee said Ghanaians should not vote for candidates who engage in politics of name-calling and insults.

Touching on the tone of the president’s lamentation, the Reverend Father said “we are not surprised and I think that maybe what he has said should ginger all of us to soberly reflect on the kind of language we are hearing every now and then on the political landscape.

“And I’m saying that anybody that will use dirty language in politics, we should reject that person, that person has nothing to offer. But anyone who argues on issues, and brings out strategies that will help make Ghana a better place, they are the people that we should look up to. And they are the people that we should push forward and let them lead us,” he added.

Mahama responds to Akufo-Addo’s critique on ‘Akyem-Sakawa boys’

The 2020 flagbearer of the largest opposition party, John Dramani Mahama has responded to President Akufo-Addo’s criticism over his ‘Akyem-Sakawa boys’ comment.

According to the former president, President Akufo-Addo has no right to be angry over the ‘Akyem-Sakawa boys’ after he consistently described former presidents with unprintable words when he was in opposition.

“President Akufo-Addo has lost the right to complain a long time ago, he was the opposition leader who called presidents before him anything you can imagine, including ‘professor Do little’ and then he described somebody as ‘simpa panyin’.

He is the president who has called his critics naysayers, professional jeremiah’s, I don’t understand on what standard he can be offended at this time because he has a precedence, Mahama continued.

“I think that temperaments in leadership is very important and there are many things a president must attend to and you must not appear in public to have lost your cool and I think he should maintain his temperament to come across as a good leader,” Mr Mahama said.

Mahama won’t apologize over Sakawa comment

Meanwhile, there have been calls for the former president to apologize over what some have described as a tribalistic comment.

Law professor, Kweku Asare (Kweku Azar) is among a section of the public who have demanded a retraction and apology from Mr. Mahama.

But the NDC says it does not see anything wrong with the article shared by their flagbearer.

Deputy General Secretary of the party, Peter Boamah Otokunor said their party leader would not apologize.

“There is not going to be an apology about it,” he said on Accra-based JoyNews.