[ 2016-11-25 ]

Hackman: Haruna Atta’s anti-Muslim claims against me a ‘joke’
Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, a former Minister for Water
Resources, Works and Housing, has refuted
allegations he made comments to the effect that
the religion of late Vice President Alhaji Aliu
Mahama made him an unsuitable choice for
president.

According to Ghana’s ambassador to Namibia, Mr
Harruna Attah, who issued a press statement on
Wednesday, November 23: “…Mr Hackman Owusu
Agyeman, going beyond Nana Akufo-Addo’s
ethnicity, used religion as his anti-Aliu stance.
He confronted me in the presence of a witness:
‘Abdul-Rahman, with a nation of about 70%
Christians, do you think it will be fair to have a
Muslim president?’ He was referring to Alhaji
Aliu Mahama, a Muslim. I answered calmly that in
all the major hotspots of the world, it is when
some groups think they are dominant and go on to
marginalise groups they regard as minorities that
the minorities also rise up to assert themselves,
by whatever means.”

Responding to the accusations on Class FM’s 505
news programme, Mr Agyeman told host Emefa Apawu:
“I thought that was a bit of a joke because the
chronology of events, sequence and piecing
together does not make a shred of sense.”

He stressed that he never had any anti-Muslim
discussions with the flag bearer of the New
Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo, or Mr
Atta.

According to what he is saying “it might have
taken place somewhere around 2007 close to a
decade, so what makes him come now at this point
in time to try to muddy the waters and put
people’s names into public opprobrium”.

“I don’t remember discussing this with him and
in any case I don’t remember whether it was
before or post elections,” he underscored.

He said he had been part of the leadership of the
NPP since 1992 and the party had constantly chosen
“somebody from the North, a Muslim, as our
running mate”.

According to him “anything happens and the
person (vice-president) can be president, and if
we do not want somebody to become president, why
then do we go and choose them [as vice
presidential candidates”.

He cited the example of the current president of
Ghana, Mr John Mahama, who became president after
the death of then President Mills and has remained
as the flag bearer of the National Democratic
Congress (NDC) since then.

“Choosing a running mate is more than ethnicity,
but someone capable of being a president when the
president is not available,” he added.

Source - Classfmonline

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