Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has ridiculed a promise by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its leader to facilitate the establishment of mortuaries as part of their policies for Zongos and deprived urban communities.
Speaking at the Conference of National Council of Fulani Chiefs in Kintampo in the Bono Region, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia asserted that the promise to build mortuaries is not far-sighted enough to address the developmental challenges in Zongo communities.
The vice president opined that the people of Zongo communities desire sound initiatives like the establishment of schools and other programs that make education accessible to their children so as to empower them and significantly improve their living conditions.
Dr. Bawumia stated that, aside the free Senior School policy which makes education accessible to all Ghanaian children including children from such communities, government has initiated a scholarship program to train students from Zongo communities in medicine abroad. He said 40 students from the communities have benefitted from the scholarship program this year and are currently receiving medical training in Cuba.
“Our policy is not One Zongo, One Mortuary. We are not thinking of mortuaries we are thinking of schools. This year, we sent 40 students from Zongo communities to Cuba to study medicine. 40 students, we selected around the country to Cuba to study medicine because we need more doctors. We need more pathologist and all of that not mortuaries,” he said.
In an interview on Woezor TV, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama spelt out the party’s manifesto promise for Zongo communities and deprived urban communities.
John Dramani Mahama in the said interview read portion of the NDC’s manifesto for the 2020 elections which states that the party will facilitate the establishment of mortuaries in accordance with Islamic customs and practices to resolve a long-standing grievance by Muslims in Zongo communities over the handling of mortal remains of deceased Muslims in public mortuaries and also collaborate with the Health Ministry to set up focal teams responsible for procedures that are compliant with Islamic customs and practices.
Media report, however, suggested that Mr. Mahama and his party intended to build 300 mortuaries in Zongo communities if they win the 2020 elections. This drew public criticism especially from the Islamic communities as they said the promise is at variant to customs and practices of Islam.
Subsequently, the campaign team of the NDC dismissed the media reports in a statement describing the reports as “mischievous, deliberately distorted and calculated to whip up anti-Muslim sentiments against the NDC.”
