I was misconstrued in Wikileaks cables – Fifi Kwetey

A Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Fifi Kwetey says a statement attributed to him in the controversial diplomatic cables leaked by Wikileaks is a misrepresentation.

The controversial whistleblower website Wikileaks, quoted the Deputy Minister to have said that former Vice President Aliu Mahama's Muslim faith was a bar in his quest to be elected presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party because religion was an important factor in Ghanaian politics and many Christian Ghanaians would never vote for a Muslim presidential candidate.

But speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen on Tuesday, Fifi Kwetey admitted having an interaction with an official of the US Embassy in his capacity as propaganda secretary of the then opposition National Democratic Congress in 2007, and he spoke on the chances of then Vice President Aliu Mahama in the 2007 congress of the NPP at Legon which elected Nana Akufo-Addo.

He noted that his statement was misconstrued in the Wikileaks and the opposition NPP are making cheap propaganda out of it.

“The interpretation given to the statement attributed to me that no Muslim can be president in Ghana is wrong and the NPP is engaging in cheap propaganda,” he noted.

He explained that in the interaction with the US official ahead of the NPP congress, he had said that it would be difficult for the NPP to choose a Muslim as a presidential candidate because that is against their tradition.

He said the NPP has been selecting Muslims as vice presidential candidate for propaganda purposes and that it amounts an attempt to throw dust into the eyes of Ghanaians that they love Muslims while their traditions are against it.

“Unlike the NPP who chooses Muslims for a cheap purpose, the NDC chooses them because they are competent and can deliver,” he said.

Mr. Kwetey reiterated; “I believe we have to respect all our people regardless of where they are coming from, therefore if we are making choices we must make choices on the back that the people make it up to the top and not for propaganda purposes”.

He explained that the statement attributed to him in the Wikileaks was not about religious issues but about the NPP’s disposition not to make a Muslim its presidential candidate, describing the NPP’s choice of making a Muslim a vice presidential candidate after a Christian flagbearer as a religious tokenism for cheap political purposes.

The Deputy Minister said the NPP’s religious tokenism was employed in the case of Vice President Aliu Mahama, who he said was later dumped at the 2007 congress. 

credit:Asempa news