The Executive Director of policy think tank Danquah Institute, Dr Kingsley Nyarko has advised society to stop judging public speakers based on their political affiliations but rather on the merit and substance of their discussions on national issues.
“The most important thing is not the colours you are wearing but the essence of what you say,” he said on the Executive Breakfast Show (EBS) on Class91.3FM on Tuesday, 1 August 2017.
Dr Nyarko, who confirmed he is an active member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), said this in reaction to assertions that some Ghanaians will accuse the institute of bias and take their work and studies for granted once he has publicly declared his support for a particular political party.
But in his opinion, a person’s political affiliation should not be used to judge his utterances and contribution to national discourse as the essence of democracy is found in the expression of divergent views and opinions.
“People have the liberty to disagree with you on any position but the argument should be the essence, the objectivity that is captured in what you say is what is important. For me, it is very crucial in our democratic governance…we have been practising democracy for long, so, society should judge what people say and not the colour that they wear. The merit of what they say is what is important,” he told show host Moro Awudu.
He continued: “It will be practically impossible if all of us identify ourselves with a particular ideology. It will never happen because we have different orientations. We have different views, we come from different backgrounds so society must accept this fact and not judge people based on the colours they wear but on the substance of debate they put across and that is the essence of democracy. Democracy demands that there should be diverse opinions.”
Using the Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide, Abdul-Malik Kweku Baako Jr. as an example, Dr Nyarko said people who clearly identify with a particular political party can be taken seriously if they remain objective in their discourse.
“If you discuss issues, as a patriot, you should be as objective as possible, as impartial as possible and people will take you seriously and see you as a credible person,” he noted.
Source: Ghana/AccraM.com
