“The fundamental human rights and freedoms enshrined in this Chapter shall be respected and upheld by the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary and all other organs of government and its agencies and where applicable to them, by all natural and legal persons in Ghana and shall be enforceable by the Courts as provided for in this Constitution”.
Article 12 (1) Constitution of Ghana 1992.
The 1992 Constitution is clear and unambiguous against any form of discrimination, on grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic origin, creed or social or economic status.
It explains further by defining discrimination under Article 17(3) as ” to give different treatment to different persons attributable only or mainly to their respective descriptions by race, place of origin, political opinions, colour, gender, occupation, religion or creed, whereby persons of one description are subjected to disabilities or restrictions to which persons of another description are not made subject or are granted privileges or advantages which are not granted to persons of another description”.
My only problem is that the framers of the Constitution may have unintentionally and unfortunately confused sex with gender because I do not know my gender, whilst my sex is obvious.
Whereas sex is a biological term, gender is a sociological term based on competence and capacity, irrespective of sex.
Dr Mahamadu Bawumia is one politician who has suffered discrimination of all sorts since his name came up for consideration as the flag bearer and Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party.
Within the NPP, as part of the internal party rivalry, he was smeared from two dimensions, ethnicity and religion, that he is from the North and is a Muslim.
The National Democratic Congress entered the fray by insinuating that the NPP only used Northerners to canvass for votes and dump them when they are ripe to be selected as Presidential Candidates.
That there will never be a Northerner whose face will be on a Presidential Ballot for generations.
Favoured
So when he won the primary in 2024, the refrain from within was that he was favoured by the leadership of the party and aided by the inducement of delegates.
His well-deserved victory was considered an euphemism for electoral rigging.
Therefore, when the party lost both the Presidential and Parliamentary polls, the same elements within the party and the NDC taunted him and felt good because it fitted their presumed divination and prophecy that he was not a winnable candidate for lacking grass-roots support within the party.
That was the reason why some within the party, and again the NDC, said the decision of the NPP to hold the Presidential primary before the election of party officers was putting the cart before the horse.
In the end, Ghanaians are united in agreeing that the January 31, 2026, presidential primary has been the most open, peaceful and transparent internal party contest of the NPP since multiparty practice resumed under the Fourth Republic.
This time round, Dr Bawumia overwhelmingly carried the day in 14 out of the 16 regions to emerge as the Presidential Candidate of the NPP by merit. Even in the two regions where he lost, he placed second.
The matter of ethnic bigotry is gone and evaporated into bubbles.
The idea that the NPP will not genuinely select a Northerner to lead the party has equally vanished.
It means that the dominant Akan ethnic groups have come to the realisation that merit and competence, not ethnic background has prevailed.
It tells of the capacity of Dr Bawumia, not by leadership manipulation or inducement of delegates, but as the choice of the delegates in an open, transparent and free contestation.
We have overcome ethnic bigotry. We are at ease at the level of unenlightened ethnic fundamentalism. So ethnicity cannot be a major campaign plank in 2028.
But that is where religious bigotry must be confronted, exposed and uprooted as backward, retrogressive and fundamentalist.
There are some Christian leaders of diverse designations who think that it is an abomination for a Muslim to be the President of this country and go to every length to defend their cause.
The Christian religion is anchored on faith, although it affirms that it is the grace of God that keeps humanity enduring.
Therefore, to those Christians who consider it evil for a Muslim to be President of Ghana, although we are a democracy, not a theocracy, there are a few relevant and significant questions that must be answered and explained.
Was Ishmael the son of Abraham? And what is the difference between the recognition of Ishmael as a son of Abraham and the sons of Jacob, born to him by the maids of Rachel and Leah, who were among the 12 sons of Jacob and recognised as such in the Bible?
Hagar
Again, what do they make of Genesis 21: 17/18, “God heard the boy crying and from heaven the angel of God spoke to Hagar, What are you troubled about Hagar?
Don’t be afraid.
God has heard the boy crying.
Get up, go and pick him up and comfort him.
I will make a great nation out of his descendants,” and verse 20, ” God was with the boy as he grew up, he lived in the wilderness of Paran and became a skilful hunter”.
Good News Bible.
In the December 7, 2024 general election, observations by the media pointed to a coherent, sustained and fervent display of animosity and propaganda by some Christian religious leaders to indoctrinate their congregants about the need not to vote for Dr Bawumia, because he is a Muslim, despite what some said of him as humble, intelligent and competent.
But last Sunday, when Dr Bawumia and the party organised a Christian thanksgiving service for his victory, the offerings were donated towards the cause of Christian work.
None of those who say he is a Muslim has discounted the practical significance of the donation.
Dr Bawumia has overcome ethnic bigotry. Let us see how we can transcend religious sentimentalism and fundamentalism.
Thank you and congratulations, Dr Bawumia, for helping Ghanaians take another step in consolidating our constitutional democracy.
We need to appreciate the essence of freedom of worship.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh