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Mr Stephen Ashitey Adjei, Tema East executive member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has bemoaned the rampant intolerance and petty internal party squabbles that were bedevilling their members.

“If within our own party, we are enemies now simply because we are aspiring to be elected to various positions in the party, then where is the intelligence in the claim that we are a political family?” Moshake asked.

Mr Adjei, popularly known as Moshake, who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra said it was not worthy to sow seeds of discord among themselves, particularly in opposition.

He described the hatred among aspirants for various party positions in the NDC internal elections, from the branch to the flagbearership level, as ‘myopic and unintelligent.’

He said, “Democracy is a market place of ideas and not an arena of the kind of hatred and vendetta that is happening and so whoever is contesting any position with such an intolerant disposition is an enemy to democracy.”

He said in the heat up to the NDC branch elections, a dog-eat-dog affair ensued with aspirants trying to expose their competitors as evil and that could escalate into, factionalism amongst members.

He said what was even more appalling was when an NDC newspaper cast insinuations and aspersions against Mr Alban Bagbin, who is aspiring to become the Presidential candidate of the Party.

He said: “Honourable Bagbin’s track record is well known, he does not just speak up for fun. He is also one of the finest Presidential materials we have in the party. To have somebody from within our ranks insulting him the way it was done shows that we have not even thought things through to realise we cut our own noses to spite our faces,”.

He said that kind of hatred and belligerence pertained to all aspects of the party’s ladder denouncing the state of affairs as self-defeating.

“The faithful of the various parties have clear examples from the cordiality that exists among all three of our former Presidents and the current President. That is how politics should be!”

He also pointed out the cordiality that is engendered by Ghana’s traditional rulers as exemplary, saying the way Tema Mantse, Dr. Nii Adjei Kraku ll for instance hosts politicians during festivals such as Homowo and Kpeledjoo is noteworthy for all.

He said the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu ll used occasions such as the Akwasidae and even funerals as platforms for unity among political leaders and wondered why NDC hierarchy could not use similar strategies to unite their people.

“Our leaders at the top continue to give us examples on how politics is supposed to be, all that the rest of us have to do is to learn from them and stop the unintelligent brand of politicking in which our opponent is our enemy,” Moshake said.