President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on Ghanaians to reject all forms of divisiveness that threaten the country’s unity and cohesion.
He has urged for tolerance and peaceful coexistence among practitioners of all religions in Ghana, particularly as the country approaches the election period.
President Akufo-Addo made the call on Thursday when he joined the Muslim community at the Independence Square in Accra to mark this year’s Eid-al-Fitr.
Eid-al-Fitr marks the end of the month-long fasting in the Islamic month of Ramadan.
The President cautioned that as the election season approaches, Ghanaians should avoid disinformation and manipulative propaganda that could undermine the country’s democracy, rule of law, and fundamental rights.
“I make this point, particularly, because we are in an election year and there is the tendency for self-seeking people to exploit our differences of religion and ethnicity to foment divisions in order to promote narrow, parochial, sectarian and political agenda,” he said
President Akufo-Addo stated that the age of technology and news media, which also provided people with a high degree of anonymity, provided a space for the peddling of half-truths and blatant lies to form perceptions.
“We should be careful about the spread of misinformation and disinformation, especially such misinformation and disinformation that destroys the hard-earned reputation of people,” he said.
The President thus urged Muslims and Ghanaians not to ruin people’s reputations for politics.
“Let us remember that this country is more important than our personal egos and ambitions.”
The President told the gathering that the significance of Ramadan was not lost on the average Muslim since it sought to inculcate the spirit of sacrifice, brotherhood, commitment to ethical living, love of family and nation and God-consciousness.
“I urge you not to abandon these values after the passage of the Ramadan…indeed the purpose Ramadan is to instill these values in us and for us to keep them all our lives.
“These are the exact same values every nation needs in order to develop. No Muslim has been unable to fast in this month of Ramadan because they did not have what it takes either to eat the dawn meal or break their fast during Iftar thanks to the time-tested practice of communal sharing of the feast at dawn and in the evenings.
“Let us make this spirit of togetherness a national value that would give true meaning to the principle of one nation, one destiny. Let us, therefore, eschew all forms of divisiveness that have the potential of destroying the unity and cohesion of our country,” he said
President Akufo-Addo reminded the gathering that Ghana remained the envy of the world due to the religious unity it created and the practice of various religions in a circular state that promotes religious freedom.
He urged them to continue to promote religious harmony and co-existence because “it is the essence of Islam, which means submission to the essence of Allah.”
