FORMER BAWKU Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Abdulai Abanga has commended the Kusasi New Patriotic Party (NPP) youth for their effort at dissociating party politics from the tribal issues in the Bawku traditional area.
According to him, their effort, if supported by residents and sustained, would help clear the notion that Mamprusis belonged to NPP whilst Kusasis belonged to the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Mr. Abanga made this known to DAILY GUIDE when he addressed some claims that Kusasis would lose their hold of the traditional leadership of Bawku if NPP win.
In his view, if members of the two tribes were incited to take entrenched positions alongside the two leading political parties in the country, the existing tension and �mistrust� between the two tribes could heighten and probably spark chaos in the area when the campaigns start in the area.
�We should not be divided as a tribe on partisan lines, neither should we be divided as a party, on tribal lines. Political parties are for development and what we must be interested in is what development a political party will bring our community. I am told that some NDC Kusasi youth are peddling falsehood that if NPP wins the elections, the traditional leadership will be taken away from Kusasis. I must say that that claim can never be true, NPP has nothing bad against Kusasis. Politics and chieftaincy are two different institutions and one has no power over the other, they complement each other�s work,� Mr. Abanga said.
According to him, Dr. Bawumia was selected because of his competence and his ability to address the country�s economic problems, and also to blend the North and South and Christianity and Islam. He added that �Dr. Bawumia�s tribe as a Mamprusi, was the least among the factors that necessitated his selection.�
Some conflict resolution experts have suggested series of seminars should be held to change people�s perception about politics and chieftaincy in the area, as a way of preparing the mindset of the people towards a peaceful campaign season and elections.
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