Parliament specific guidelines to regulate religious practices

Parliament on Monday called on the joint committee on the ban on drumming and noisemaking to take a second look at pertinent issues relating to the ban and come out with appropriate suggestions for religious tolerance.

The Joint committee on Subsidiary Legislation, Legal, Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs and Youth, Sports and Culture in presenting its report, enumerated 12 recommendations that members felt was rather an attempt to "pass the buck".

Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Chairman of the Committee, said among other things that until a final decision on the issue, the Committee recommended that in the interim the Christian community and the Ga Traditional Council return to the Joint Declaration signed in 2000.

The National Commission on Culture (NCC) was also urged to come out with policy guidelines and set standards to regulate religious practices and observance in line with religious plurality.

The Committee also called on the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the Police Service to be proactive and ensure that the laws on public nuisance on the statute books are enforced throughout the year and not just during the ban.

Mr Mensah-Bonsu said the Committee recommended that the National Commission for Civic Education should intensify education on religious tolerance, social harmony; plurality of cultures, languages and peaceful co-existence in the country.

Mr Samuel Nkrumah-Gyimah, NPP-Odotobri said tradition was grossly abused with Christians not respecting the traditional norms of the people thus leading to various degrees of conflict.

Mr Freddie Blay, CPP-Ellembele and Deputy Speaker, commended the committee for a good work done adding that it was sometimes difficult to draw the line between traditional and religious affairs. He called for concerted efforts by all to arrive at amicable solution to the problem and to ensure that the issue did not go out of proportion.

Mr Charles Omar Nyanor, NPP- Upper Denkyira and a Minister of State, said the said the Committee did not do the work assigned it and only tried to satisfy all parties and also preferred to ask the NCC to come out with policy guidelines on the ban.

Captain Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey, NPP-Berekum, said it was an established fact that the conflict was only between the Ga Traditional Council and the Charismatic and independent churches that were unable to compromise on issues.

He urged that the recommendations of the Committee should be printed verbatim for the use of all parties to ensure lasting peace in the metropolis. Mr Amos Lawerh Buertey, NDC-Ada, said there were other issues beyond noisemaking and that it was important that all parties reviewed how they related to each other.

He said there was the need to respect the religious beliefs of each other but "things are bound to get out of hands when one sees another practice as satanic and refuse to respect it". Mr Buertey called on all the parties to go back to the recommendations made in 2000 and to continue with the negotiations to bring about lasting peace.