CSOs want Ashanti Regional minister sacked over ethnocentric comments

The Coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on the Dangers of Ethnocentrism to Ghana’s Unity, Stability, Peace and Security has called for the resignation of the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah over alleged ethnocentric comments he made against Northerners.

The CSOs led by the Strategic Thinkers Network (STRANEK) says the president must sack the Minister if he fails to resign or they will be forced to campaign against the ruling NPP.

At a press conference addressed by Ni Tettey Tetteh, Executive Director, he said the former deputy agric minister Mr. William Quaitoo was forced to resign over derogatory comments he made against people from the north.

Mr. Quaitoo was widely slammed for describing people from the north as difficult people in 2017.

The CSOs says just as the former deputy minister resigned, the Ashanti Regional Minister should have also been condemned and sacked.

"The president must not hesitate to ask Simon Osei Mensah to resign or cause his dismissal to show his abhorrence to divisive comments that are inimical to our unity as a country.’’

The Minister was in 2019 accused of making disparaging comments; comments which were tribal, and alleged to break the peace and cohesion of this country.

He, however, denied the allegations but the CSOs want him sacked or they will campaign against the government.

They also referenced comments made by Mr. K.T Hammond, the MP for Adansi Asokwa for making ‘’frightening, deeply, disturbing comments saying that Togolese and people of the Volta Region are of the same tribe and so they walk into Ghana but they are not Ghanaians’’.

These comments they claim formed part of a state-sponsored, acts of national disunity and systemic marginalization of non-Akan speaking Ghanaians.

"We saw the sponsored efforts to prevent a section of the Ghanaian population from registration to vote in the just ended registration exercise conducted by the Electoral Commission of Ghana. These were acts of discrimination.’’

"These developments are very dangerous and they represent the greatest threat to our national unity, stability, peace and security project. Ass the youth of this country, we shall be the worst affected when anything untoward happens. We have waited patiently of our moral voices to speak against these ills. Unfortunately, most of them remain silent. We collectively condemn ethnocentric comments. Comments like these, create chaos and danger and is highly unacceptable.’’

Meanwhile, the CSOs have also hinted of t5heir resolve to set a monitoring mechanism to name, shame and even consider legal action against anyone who engages in any act of ethnocentrism or tribal bigotry.