The Secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops Conference Reverend Father Lazarus Anondee has called on Ghanaians to reject politicians or political parties that engage in name-calling and politics of insults.
It comes after the controversy following NDC flagbearer John Mahama’s sharing of article by Bolga Central MP Isaac Adongo on Facebook in which he labelled some individuals in government as ‘Sakawa-Akyem boys’.
President Akufo-Addo in response to the labelling complained to Catholic Bishops at a meeting at the Jubilee House.
The president said: “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.” A comment the opposition also referred to as tribalistic against Northerners.
However, speaking to Francis Abban on the Morning Starr Monday, Reverend Father Lazarus said both parties are guilty of the name-calling and politics of insults saying Ghanaians should vote based on issues.
“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
Commenting on the president’s tone during the meeting, he noted “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.”
“I think that somehow because we reward people who practice the politics of insult. If we begin to rubbish these who use the foul language. people would sit up. They are not the type of people we need in public,” he added.
