Former Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), Dr John Kingsley Krugu, has stated that support for former Vice President and the 2024 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, must not be based on his tribe but on policies, vision, and integrity.
Writing in the context of the Mamprusi-Kusasi conflict, Dr Kingsley Krugu, a Kusasi himself and a stalwart of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), explained that there is no political wisdom to refuse to support Dr Bawumia merely because he is Mamprusi, stressing that such a viewpoint perpetuates the divide between Mamprusis and Kusasis.
“Refusing to support Dr Bawumia simply because he is a Mamprusi is not political wisdom — it is an emotional inheritance of hate. It keeps the Kusasi–Mamprusi divide alive and poisons the very future we claim to defend. Hatred never liberates; it only imprisons both the hater and the hated.
If any Kusasi chooses not to support Bawumia, let it be because of his policies, his vision, his integrity, his empathy, or his accountability — not his tribe. The lazy excuse that “he is a Mamprusi” is too shallow for a people as proud and intelligent as we are. It is also dangerous — because it teaches our children to hate before they learn to think,” Dr Krugu explained.
He noted that even though Kusasis have a right to self-determination and must do everything to protect it, tribal hatred must not be part of such an agenda, as it leads to future conflicts.
“We must stand firm on our self-determination as Kusasis — that is non-negotiable. But tribal hatred is not self-determination; it is slow suicide. It postpones today’s conflict for our children to fight tomorrow, only with sharper weapons and colder hearts.
Kusaug deserves better. We can be principled without being prejudiced; we can defend our heritage without destroying our humanity. Let us not pass hatred down like an inheritance. Let us break the chain in our generation — for the peace of Kusaug, for the unity of the North, and for the dignity of our children. Leadership demands more than cheap politics!” He added.
The chieftaincy conflict in Bawku that has pitched Mamprusis and Kusasis against each other for decades has led to some faceless persons using the ethnicity of Dr Bawumia as a major campaign point.
