Mr George Sarpong, the Executive Secretary of the National Media Commission (NMC), has asked Ghanaian youth not to allow the play up of tribal politics, currently ongoing in the media space, to influence their voting decisions.
He noted that the current situation where the media describes the 2024 general election as the battle between two northerners was worrying and that the disturbing phenomenon should engage the attention of all peace-loving Ghanaians.
Addressing a durbar to climax the 80th Anniversary of the Effiduase Senior High School (EFFISCO), Mr Sarpong said never in the history of Ghana had a contest between two presidential candidates from a particular geographical area or region been played up in such a tribal or regionally biased manner.
‘The ‘Northernisation’ of political candidates in the 2024 general election in the media is very worrying and needs urgent action of all Ghanaians,’ he stated.
‘At no point in the history of Ghana had people referred to a political contest as a contest betw
een southerners, not even in the all-Akan contests between Mr J.A. Kufuor and Prof J.E.A. Mills, or between Prof. Mills and Nana Akufo-Addo in the previous elections,’ he observed.
‘Therefore, there is no reason why the next election should be referred to as northerners contest.’
It was important to hype the qualities of the two candidates and what they had to offer rather than ’emphasizing that Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is a Mamprusi from Walewale, North East Region, and Mr John Mahama is a Gonja from Bole, Savannah Region,’ which played down their qualities and unacceptable, Mr Sarpong said.
‘The danger I’m drawing attention to is in the subtlety of the messaging in labelling all these diverse cultures as ‘northerners’,’ he said.
‘It denies them social equity and limits their opportunity for accessing public office since it makes it easy for us to sprinkle a few in positions and tell ourselves that we have satisfied the north.’
‘This inequality is how we subtly kill vision and undermine social progress.’
Mr
Sarpong, who is also an old student of the school, stressed the need for the youth to stand firm and vote for humble and visionary candidates, devoid of tribal or religious affiliations.
Young Ghanaians should give opportunity to a candidate who embodied the EFFISCO vision, resilience and excellence.
He advised the youth to see beyond the present; envision greatness, and set a purpose for their lives by choosing a leader with track records in the economic growth and development of the country.
The person who may define the positive course of their lives might not necessarily come from their hometown, tribe or religion, he said.
Mr Ishaq Kyei-Brobbey, the Headmaster of the school, touching on academic progress, said the 2022 WASSCE results reaffirmed the vision of the school as centre of excellence.
The percentage of credit passes A1 – C6 in English Language for the school was 82.7 per cent with 99.04 per cent for Mathematics.
Other subject areas like Science recorded 97.42 per cent pass, whilst Social S
tudies recorded 88.51 per cent.
With Ghana on course to developing her human resource capacity, EffISCO was strongly aligned, he said.
Currently the school has a student population of 3,581, comprising 1,787 males and 1,794 females, whilst the staff strength is 270, comprising 170 teaching staff and 100 non-teaching staff.
Awards were given to deserving students and staff members for their hard work.
Source: Ghana News Agency