Presby PRO must be careful next time
For the past two weeks or so, pressure has been mounted on the Electoral Commission (EC) to suspend the creation of the additional 45 constituencies, two months to the conduct of national elections.
Apart from the opposition parties which are calling for the suspension of the new seats, religious groups have also added their voices to the call on the Afari Gyan outfit to listen to the cry of the public.
The latest religious organisation to do so is the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, which thinks the timing for the creation of the constituencies is wrong and could mar the beauty of the December elections.
Unfortunately, the church’s statement did not go down well with the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, who thinks the Presby Church should have met all the stakeholders to discuss the matter, instead of the press statement it issued to condemn the creation of the new seats.
“Under the Kufuor era, when ROPAL came up, we appealed to the religious leaders to intervene, but they were unable to help, because President Kufuor refused to meet them. In 2004, when 30 constituencies were to be created, the Presby Church were not heard, so why now? Have they got mouths to talk now? So let them come again,” Asiedu Nketiah stated on Asempa FM, a private radio station in Accra.
Responding to this criticism by the NDC General Secretary on the same medium, the Public Relations Officer of the Presby Church, Mr. Emanuel Osei Akyeampong, argued that the Church is also part of the governance process and can criticizse any government: “We think he (Asiedu Nketia) is going wayward.”
The Presby Church PRO then went bonkers: “I don’t know whether Asiedu Nketia was speaking under the influence of alcohol, because how can any normal person, without taking in anything, speak that way? This is uncalled for.”
First of all, The Chronicle agrees with the position of the PRO that the church has the right to criticise any government that is going wayward. Indeed, it is these criticisms from our religious leaders that have helped to keep Ghana united.
But, whilst admitting that in so doing these religious leaders would fall prey to politicians, it does not mean that they must also descend into the gutters with them, because society looks up to them for inspiration.
Clearly, Mr. Akyeampong went overboard in his attempt to react to Asiedu Nketiah’s criticism, because the words he spewed out were unchristian.
We have all condemned the insults on our airwaves, therefore, for a PRO of a respected religious body like the Presby Church to also go on air to use these foul words, just because the person provoked him, is unacceptable.
Ghanaians respect their religious leaders very much, therefore, nothing should be done to mar this reverence and allow people to also rain insults on the Clergy, who are the embodiment of respect in our society.
The Chronicle insists that no matter how much General Mosquito provoked him, Akyeampong should have been moderate in the words that he used, and must, therefore, apologise to the public.
If these harsh words had not come from a “Man of God”, the public would not have condemned it as they have done, because our pastors and Imams are held in very high esteem in the Ghanaian society.
Short URL: http://thechronicle.com.gh/?p=47197