The Seventh-Day Adventist Church on Wednesday appealed to government to review the timing of vital state assignments on Saturday since it was in conflict with the Church's reverence of the day as a Sabbath.
Pastor Peter Mensah, President of the Ghana Union Conference of the Church made the appeal during a courtesy call on the Speaker of Parliament, Peter Ala Adjetey in Accra.
"As loyal citizens of the Republic of Ghana, we believe the right to freedom of religion is subject to the equal rights of others. Incidentally, in Ghana many of our members suffer discrimination in the area of Sabbath," he said.
Pastor Mensah, who presented a communiqu? issued by the Church on the matter at a just ended Southern Conference of the Church to the Speaker, said of most concern to the SDA was the fixing of state certificate examinations dates on the Sabbath and the insistence of some employers that Saturday became a working day.
He said the Adventist population in Ghana exceeded 750,000 and called on government for serious consideration of the request.
Pastor Mensah described the SDA as partners in development and mentioned the education sector where the Church had established a university, six secondary, 115 junior secondary schools and over 275 primary schools and 14 hospitals.
He said the Adventist Development and Relief Agency was assisting various communities in the provision of sanitation, micro-financing and rural farming. Pastor Mensah commended Parliament for the excellent role it was playing in ensuring the sustenance of democratic rule in the country.
Adjetey referred to the dispute among the Christian community over the day of the Sabbath as mere doctrinal differences and assured the SDA that parliament would consider the appeal within the purview of its constitutional mandate.
Both Osei Kyei -Mensah-Bonsu, Majority Chief Whip and Mr John Tia, Deputy Minority Chief Whip, who were at the meeting commended the SDA for its immense role in boosting development in their constituencies.
