The Head of the Ahmadiyya Mission in Ghana, Maulvi Mohammed Bin Salih has charged President Nana Addo Dankwa-Akufo to bring all on board if he really wants Ghanaians to be citizens and not spectators.
According to him, if the person charging you to be a participant or citizen does not extend to you a hand of invitation, how do you get involved, he quizzed.
He was speaking on the sidelines at this year’s Jalsa Salana in the UK. President Akufo-Addo in his inaugural speech on January 7, 2017, set the tone for patriotism with a call on Ghanaians to be active partakers in the running of the country.
The President on the day said: “Fellow citizens, you must be at the center of the change. The change we have voted for will have to start with each of us as individuals.
We can start with little changes in our own individual attitudes and practices.
“The change can and should start now. I urge you to be citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects. Responsible citizens building our communities and our nation. Let us work until the work is done.’’
However, the Islamic leader believes the president should go beyond the rhetoric and extend an invitation to the people who he wants to be participants.
He said, ‘’If you want people to be participants and not spectators, you at the helm of affairs, should put in measures to ensure that you invite them, you get them onto the playing field. If you don’t invite me into the playing field to be part of the team, then I will end up being a spectator sitting there and watching you.’’ He added,
‘’So it is for him; the president who says he wants everybody to be involved, to get everybody on board.’’
He was of the view that, not much has been seen in that regard and the only thing he pointed to was the appointment of Dr. Edward Nasigri Mahama as the Ambassador-at-large.
‘’So far we haven’t seen much of it. But I believe it’s early yet to see; what I have seen so far is that, for instance, only recently one opposition leader was brought into the government.
The president appointed him as the Ambassador-at-large for Ghana. This is the head of an opposition party.
And because of all inclusiveness, maybe he decided to bring him on board. It is also a sign that possibly many other positive things will come,’’ he noted
Source: GhanaWeb
