Shamima Muslim, a social activist and NDC sympathizer has cautioned Muslim and Northern supporters of the NPP, who have become vehement aggressors in response to her endorsement of John Dramani Mahama, to introspect and examine the motivations driving their behavior and actions.
She questioned their problem with her refusal to back the NPP and her desire not to see the party emerge victorious in the December elections, pointing out that some NPP members and sympathizers themselves hold similar views.
“[Is your issues] that I don’t support Dr. Bawumia’s bid to become President under a government he has been part of which the majority of Ghanaians are disappointed in? As witnessed in the NPP primaries and subsequent fallouts with Mr. Allan Kyeremateng and his butterfly movement, I am not alone on that front”.
“That because I too hail from the North, Upper West to be exact, and a Muslim, you expect me to support Dr. Bawumia and the NPP? John Mahama is a northern brother, did you support him? In fact, DMB has been most critical of his brother every opportunity he gets”.
Shamima Muslim
Shamima Muslim wondered whether, as a sister and a woman, the Northern NPP supporters are irked that she dared to have an opinion and even spoke up.
She asked why the majority of the attacks on her comments are coming from Muslim and Northern brothers, pointing out that these attacks are not focused on disagreeing with her opinions on issues, but rather are absurd and unfounded.
Shamima Muslim observed that these harmful behaviors and narrow-minded thinking that perpetuate divisions are among the reasons why the North and Muslim communities remain underdeveloped, underrepresented, and often marginalized.
She observed that those who should be leading the charge are instead getting bogged down in petty squabbles and trivial pursuits, rather than harnessing the North’s talented individuals to tackle the region’s pressing issues and promote collective progress.
Northern Society Values Unity Over Division
Furthermore, Shamima Muslim stated that if her critics from the North have conveniently forgotten, they should remember that the Northern society is a close-knit community, even in the face of extreme partisanship, and that unity is needed rather than division.
She noted that the Northern community remains a close-knit one, even in cases where a person from a different political background can become a leader of a political party that isn’t their own, and where a father and son can be members of opposing parties.
“Where siblings of the same mother and father can actually represent two or three political traditions. Where a husband and wife can be members of opposing parties”.
“So the next time you have the urge to disagree with me, a common floor member with nowhere near the status of your beloved, in a manner that departs from the germane issues remind yourself that your amplification of your candidate can be done without your attempted desecration of me- after all ‘whom am I!’”
Shamima Muslim
Shamima urged her critics to also let the family stories of the Bawumias, the Ramadans, the Jinapors, the Ala-Adjeteys, and many others guide them, as these families have different political inclinations despite being related.
She remarked that election seasons are notoriously frivolous, but she encouraged people to be vigilant and emphasized that the North merits more substance than mere quarreling over political affiliations.
Shamima Muslim further assured her critics that she is not one to shy away from challenges, stating that her decision to engage in the nation’s politics was made after careful and thoughtful consideration.
“I have decided to be part of the solution within the arena. No longer watching from the sidelines”. – Shamima Muslim
As such, She stated that she has chosen the NDC as her political vehicle and is throwing her support behind the Mahama-Opoku-Agyemang ticket in the upcoming December 7 elections.
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