Tribal-Supremacist Politicians Must Never Rule Nkrumah's Ghana

By Kofi Thompson

Ghana's blessing is that ordinary Ghanaians are far too sensible and pragmatic, to allow themselves to be manipulated by tribal-supremacist politicians.

During their tenure, both Presidents Rawlings and Kufuor were often accused of tribalism. Each time that accusation was made to my hearing, I had a standard response.

I made it clear that as long as the president did not attempt to promote his tribal Chieftain as a de facto sovereign, or sacrifice the national interest in pursuit of a hidden tribal-supremacist agenda, at the behest of Chiefs, I didn't particularly care how many Ewes or Akans filled positions in their gift - if they were qualified to hold those positions: because they were all Ghanaian citizens.

No Ghanaian citizen must be denied an appointment in the public sector, simply because he or she shares the same ethnic background with a sitting President.

This is a modern African nation-state of diverse-ethnicity, in which no tribe is superior or inferior to another.

For that reason we must not tolerate tribal-supremacist politicians under any circumstances - for morally they are unfit to rule Nkrumah's Ghana.