Bawumia Is Misleading Ghanaian Muslims!

Feature Article, by Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro.

I was taken aback by the brazen effrontery of Kawame Okoampa's latest article on the subject. It is becoming increasingly predictable to glance through the titles of Feature Articles and opinion pieces and to know instinctively which one is coming from Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jnr. See: Don't Be Silly, Bawumia Critics!, Feature Article of Sunday, 23 November 2014, by Okoampa-Ahoofe, Kwame. Nothing surprising here for those who have been following NPP commentators like Okoampa. There is always the screaming and insulting arrogance, or the normal sound from an empty barrel, making the most noise as usual. (See: Kwame Okoampa Is A Charlatan!)


It is not even surprising to see Okoampa gleefully contradicting himself. To begin with, Okoampa is fully conscious of his own obviously uncontrollable disdain for Muslims in general. So much so that he is the only political commentator ever to describe the NPP as "an Akan Christian Party"! (google: "Mr. Akilu Salisu Should Argue Sensibly" by Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D. Feature Article | Sat, 19 Jul 2008). It was only Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., who saw the rather tortuous link between "the arrest of 23-year-old Mr. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on Christmas day, for allegedly attempting to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight originating from Amsterdam and destined for Detroit, Michigan" and "Ghanaian Muslims"!


"First, Mr. Abdulmutallab must, somehow, have at least one Ghanaian-resident accomplice/operative who facilitated the suspect's ability to readily obtain and assemble the materials with which he allegedly attempted to blow up the 278-passengered Flight 253." Okoampa argued, "And two, if the foregoing observation has validity, and there are tens of thousands of Nigerian-Muslim residents in Ghana, then it stands to reason for counter-terrorism security and intelligence agents, and experts, to begin ferreting for the suspect's possible/potential criminal accomplice(s) from within the Nigerian Muslim community in Ghana. Or could it be that Mr. Abdulmutallab's possible/potential Ghanaian accomplice(s) is/are simply a Muslim(s)?" (Google: "Nigeria Must Face Up To Its Criminal Reputation!!!" by Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D., Sun, 03 Jan 2010, Feature Article.


Okoampa's latest take on the "Separation of Church and State" is rather baffling. He writes in his recent article, "the same nation that canonized the legal and political concept of 'Separation of Church and State' that also emblazoned its legal tender - the Almighty Dollar - with the following motto: 'In God We Trust.'" The problem with Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe is not that he has a very short memory, and expects everyone else to suffer from the same affliction. This same Okoampa once wrote to condemn the late President John Atta-Mills call for "an annual week of prayer", as:


"...his rather facile and at once brazen attempt to get the established Christian Church of Ghana to institute an annual week of prayer flagrantly violates his constitutional role as President of the august Republic of Ghana.. And on the preceding score, of course, the reference is to the time-honored constitutional tenet, or principle, of the Separation of Church and State." (See: Don't Cheapen Christianity, Mr. President! | Feature Article of Tuesday, 2 February 2010, by Okoampa-Ahoofe, Kwame). The real explanation for the opportunistic contradiction of his earlier pronouncements comes down to one of an unintelligent scam artist at the end of his wits.

The trouble with the NPP is that the original ethnocentric groupings that came together to form the party never really liked each other. Apart from the Akyem and the Ashanti parties, there was also the Northern group who happened to be Muslims. These were all forced to band together to swim or sink under the Avoidance of Discrimination Act, Act 103, (1957) which outlawed all ethnically-based, religious and regional parties and associations in Ghana, that forced them to come together, for better or for worse. It was not because they liked each other, or because they necessarily liked the Muslim Action Party or the Northern Peoples' Party that joined them!


The NPP is no friend of Ghanaian Muslims. Just like what Okoampa is doing, they only like to use key figures to attract their votes, end of story! Just this very month, from Wednesday 19th to Friday 21st November, 2014, the NPP leadership attended the International Democratic Union (IDU) Party Leadership Meeting in South Korea, ostensibly "to take-stock, reflect and deliberate on specific ideological concerns within emerging socio-political and economic dynamics". One thing the NPP is desperately keeping way from their Muslim supporters is the anti-Muslim agenda of the IDU.


The NPP has signed a pact with the Devil. The devil in question is the International Democrats Union, IDU, which describes itself among others, as "conservative Christian democrats" whatever that means! A closer examination reveals a secret agenda to stem the influence of Islam and other religions worldwide. There are a lot of complaints coming from places where the IDU has become very strong, such as Sri Lanka, where the Buddhist majority have had a lot to complain about!


Here is how the IDU describes itself on their own website: "The International Democrat Union (IDU) is a working association of over 80 Conservative, Christian Democrat and like-minded political parties of the centre and centre right. Formed in 1983, the IDU provides a forum in which Parties holding similar beliefs can come together and exchange views on matters of policy and organisational interest, so that they can learn from each other, act together, establish contacts and speak with one strong voice to promote democracy and centre-right policies around the globe. Founder Members of the IDU included Britain's Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, then US Vice-President George Bush Sr, Paris Mayor and later President of France Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and many other Party Leaders".


As I pointed out in a related article several years ago, "I hope that Muslim voters would also draw the line between where religious tolerance is unduly taken advantage of by "ideological fanatics and cynics parading in the guise of disinterested moralists" like Mr. Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D whilst maintaining a particular status quo! An Akan dominated Christian one! What would be wrong with the Muslims in the Party insisting that the NPP must also be a part of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) since the Christians in the party have taken it to the Christian IDU?

Muslims also have legitimate aspirations of uniting their community to serve their common political, economic, and social interests. Despite the presence of secularist, nationalist, and socialist ideologies, in modern Muslim states, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia cooperated with other Muslim leaders to form the Organization of Islamic Conference. The OIC was formed in May 1971 in Rabat particularly after the loss of Muslim Holy sites in Jerusalem. According to its charter, the OIC aims to preserve Islamic social and economic values; promote solidarity amongst member states; increase cooperation in social, economic, cultural, scientific, and political areas; uphold international peace and security; and advance education, particularly in the fields of science and technology. What is wrong with this? And whilst we are at it, why not the OPEC? After all we've got the oil now?" See: Is The NPP Blowing Hot And Cold Air On Islamic Nerves? Feature Article | 24 November 2008, by Nana Akyea Mensah.


The formation of the IDU was largely in reaction to the ascendancy of the Organisation of Islamic Countries led by the Christian far right in the West. The NPP cannot belong to such an association, and at the same time pick a Muslim as their Vice-Presidential candidate, in a bid to fool Ghanaian Muslims, as they usually do! The only time the NPP believes in "harram" is when a Muslim attempts to contest as the NPP's Presidential candidate! That position, according to Kwame Okoampa, is strictly reserved for Akan Christians!


Forward Ever! Backwards Never!!!


Nana Akyea Mensah