NPP National Nasara Coordinator, Abdul-Aziz Haruna-Futa
The National Nasara Wing of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has described the promise by the opposition National Democratic Congress to build mortuaries in all Zongos in the country as an insult to the Islamic faith.
The NDC has captured in its 2020 manifesto that, as part of its policies to develop the Zongo communities in the country, it will build mortuaries in accordance with Islamic customs in the various Zongo communities. The promise was, over the weekend, given prominence when the party’s flagbearer, John Mahama, trumpeted it in an interview on Woezor TV.
The promise, which has not gone down well with some Muslims, has attracted condemnation from a section of Ghanaians.
Misplaced priority
The NPP in a statement released by its Muslim wing, Nasara, and signed by the National Coordinator, Abdul-Aziz Haruna-Futa, said that the manifesto promise is a misplaced priority.
The statement further noted that the promise to build mortuaries has come to support the long-held belief that the NDC’s manifesto contains ideas “that are archaic and do not address the immediate concerns of Muslims”.
According to the NPP, the NDC ignored all the life-threatening challenges in the various Zongos, and rather decided to build mortuaries to preserve dead bodies, knowing that the Zongo communities are already densely populated, leaving enormous pressure on the existing social amenities.
The statement wondered why the NDC could not think of any innovative means of addressing the pressing challenges of Zongo communities than to promise them mortuaries.
Schooling the NDC on Islamic customs and traditions, the NPP Nasara leader stated that the moment a Muslim dies, whether in the hospital or home, steps are hurriedly initiated to prepare the body for burial, which includes grave digging and bathing the corpse, known as Janaza.
He added that Muslims do not preserve their deed bodies for burial later, and therefore do not need mortuaries.
The NPP’s alternative
The statement added that the alternative provided by the NPP in tackling the development needs of the Zongos remain the best for the country.
It said, having understood the needs and the recurring problems of the Zongo, relative to the preparation of dead bodies for burial, the NPP has put in place measures that help Muslims to get their deceased relatives on time and prepare them for burial.
Mr Futa added that the Akufo-Addo government has given more recognition to the needs of people in the various Zongos through the Zongo Development Fund, the establishment of a Zongo Ministry, special attention to Arabic teachers, special scholarships to people from Zongo communities, GHC10million seed fund to support businesses in Zongo communities, building ICT centres, among others.
The NPP Nasara wing further condemned the NDC’s promise to legalise commercial motorcycle operation, known locally as ‘okada’.
The group said the okada and the mortuary promises “indicate that when the Zongo youth lose their lives in the Okada business, their bodies would be prepared in the John Dramani Mahama mortuaries” describing the promises as “callous and insensitive”.
“This again proves that the Zongo youth must know that they are just seen as a vote basket for the NDC and not part of the development agenda of this country. So, instead of consulting and engaging the Zongo people, they deliberated among themselves and came up with this degrading policy initiative,” he added.
Drivers kick against okada
In a related development, a group of drivers, known as Concerned Drivers Association of Ghana, has kicked against the NDC’s promise to legalise okada.
The secretary to the group, Asonaba Nana Wiredu, speaking to the media yesterday in Accra, said legalising Okada would endanger lives and turn the roads into a death trap.
Mr Wiredu stated that the country gains nothing from the legalisation of okada except to increase road accidents and casualties, and jeopardise the peace and stability in the transport industry.
He added that the move would also generate unhealthy competition that may escalate indiscipline on the roads.
“We expect solutions, not problems from our leaders; we therefore encourage the NDC to reconsider its Manifesto promise to avert the impending calamity of its decision,” he said.
He disclosed that in 2015 about 2,289 cases of motorcycle accidents were recorded, adding that the number rose to over 3,487 in 2017 and jumped to 4,000 in 2018, with over 732 deaths.
He stated that the Association would therefore “mobilise our teaming driver unions to kick against the Okada legalization”.
“Okada was registered to undertake delivery service and not to take passengers,” he said.
Source: dailystatesman.com.gh/Benedicta Akplor and Paul Nyojah Dalafu
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