Don’t exploit our ignorance for your political power - Rev. Asante

Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante has described politicians who exploit the ignorance of electorates as persons who lacks competence, and without good intention for governing the nation.

According to the Chairman of the National Peace Council, the best thing for people who want to lead Ghanaians, is to enlighten the people especially those who are ignorant, and not to rather feed on their callowness.

Speaking to Rainbow Radio in an interview on the need for Ghanaians to vote for persons based on issues and not to support political parties based on religion and ethnicity, Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante said ‘’don’t exploit our ignorance for your political advantage, because it will not help us."

His comments comes in the wake on recent calls bordering on ethnic and religious statements made by former Transport Minister, Hon Dzifa Attivor who was reportedly captured on tape calling on residents of the Volta Region to vote massively for the NDC and prevent the NPP from coming in to power because they will jail NDC leaders from the region; and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, vice presidential candidate for the opposition NPP who on the other hand, was also captured on tape addressing a gathering at the Sissala East District in the Upper West Region that there was no balance at the Flagstaff House because both the President and his Vice are Christians.

He, therefore, called on Ghanaians to vote massively for the NPP because they have a Christian and a Muslim as presidential and vice presidential candidates respectively. However, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante said these utterances will only bring about disunity.

According to him, Ghana is a secular state hence if politicians should make such statements, it will heighten tension and breed intolerance. He opined that, partisan politics has already divided the nation, therefore the creeping introduction of ethnic and religious sentiments into our body politics could plunge the country into chaos.

He particularly asked the electorate to vote for candidates not based on their ethnicity or religion, rather vote for those who they think have the competence and capacity to manage the affairs of this nation.

"Be vigilant and vote on the basis of issues and for people who have the competence to govern this country and not based on their ethnicity or religion. Politics based on ethnicity and religion should not be encouraged in this country otherwise we may fall in the hands of extremists whose motive is to destroy this country…Ghana is a secular state and so we cannot build the nation on an individual’s religion or ethnicity."

The Most Rev. Asante said some politicians underestimate the intelligence of Ghanaians; a situation he said leads to partisan propaganda and unnecessary ethnic and religious comments.

He observed that there is too much intolerance among politicians in the country hence the need for leaders from the various political parties to see themselves as peacemakers by tolerating others.