The National Zongo Caucus of the NDC has noticed with great shock, the Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s blatant snub of the National Chief Imam and the entire Muslim society’s appeal to call the Headmistress of the Wesley Girls Senior High School to order, for her unconstitutional directives to prevent Muslim students from observing the Annual Ramadan Fast.
It will be recalled that, the headmistress of Wesley Girls Senior High School whimsically and capriciously barred Muslim Students from observing their Annual Ramadan Fasting in the school, a situation which saw some parents storm the school to withdraw their wards in protest of the unconstitutional directives from the said headmistress.
The National Chief Imam in a statement published by myjoyonline.com on Aprill 30, 2021 also added his voice by expressing his displeasure in the said discriminatory directives of the headmistress.
The Coalition of Muslim Organizations in Ghana(COMOG) and some muslim Members of Parliament, notably, Hon. Collins Dauda and Hon. Muntaka Mubarak added their voices to the same call.
As if that was not enough, the Chairman for the occasion of the closing ceremony of the National Chief Imam’s Annual Ramadan Quran exegisis which was held yesterday 1st May 2021, Sheik Mustapha Ibrahim also reiterated the disappointment of the Muslim Community to the said headmistress unconstitutional directives.
Irrespective of all the above calls by the Muslim Community, Dr. Bawumia who was the Special Guest of honour at the function mounted the podium to speak on the theme “Promoting Quality Education, Key to Alleviating Poverty and Ignorance in our Communities” continued with his usual rhetorics to the total disregard of the pressing issue affecting Muslim students in the SHS. Dr Bawumia in his speech touched on other non related issues albeit without a single comment to reassure the Muslim umma of the Nana Addo/ Bawumia led NPP administration’s commitment to preventing the discrimination meted out to the Muslim Students simply because of their religious beliefs.
The National Zongo Caucus of the NDC see the loud silence of Dr. Bawumia on this all important subject as a disappointment and a total disregard to the plight of Muslims he claims to represent, more so, when his campaign within the Zongo Community has always been to represent Muslims at the seat of Government.
We in the Zongo Caucus will not be far from right to assume that the silence of Dr Bawumia to the loud calls by the Muslim community against the above act is his tacit approval of the discrimination against our Muslim Students in the various public schools. No wonder Nana/ Bawumia Govt scrapped the Ministry of Zongo Affairs and Inner city all because they failed in the Zongos during the elections and do not regard Muslims anymore.
Finally, whiles commending all those who spoke against the directives of the Headmistress, The National Zongo Caucus is by this statement appealing to all heads of institutions to desist from such acts of discrimination which contravenes chapter Six, articles 34(1) and 35 (4) (5) of the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana. The statement from the GES is not enough as it seeks to protect the headmistress and we call on Dr Bawumia to speak so as to end these discriminations in our SHS.
Lets allow for religious tolerance to preserve the peace we are enjoying as a country.
Long live Ghana
Long live NDC
Long live Zongo Caucus.
Signed
Alhaji Mohammed Mamah
National Zongo Caucus Coordinator NDC.