Tobacco bill needs to be expedited and passed

The Secretary General of Ghana Rising, Pastor Raymond Danquah, has admonished the media to set an agenda which would benefit society rather than just playing to the gallery.

He said "it is about time that politics takes a back sit in this country for issues which needs urgent attention to be brought to the fore in order to set Ghana on the right path".

He made this statement at the launching ceremony of Ghana Arising in Accra on the theme: "Towards a peaceful and prosperous nation".

According to him, his organization is using this opportunity to mention one area that the African Union day can be used to champion; that is the Tobacco Bill which is still before parliament and needs to be expedited and passed.

We petition in a respectful way to honorable speaker of parliament, Her, lordship, Rt. hon. Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo to give this bill all the necessary consideration it deserved for it to passed. He said.

He reiterated that, the media should also help to push the issues which have no political colours with passion, saying "we all have collective responsibility to promote the values that take us forward and reject firmly those that retard our progress".

Pastor Danquah noted that "one of the most conspicuous stumbling blocks that impede our effort to national cohesion and development is our inability to see issues of common national interest without those political party colours that, more often than not, cloud our judgments and causes us to set aside what is important to rather focus on endless trivial justifications and vilification of parochial interests which waste public time, money and sometimes threatens our peace".

He said Ghana Rising seeks to bring together the efforts of many individuals and organizations to build "A peaceful and prosperous nation under God" to stimulate an awakening from the grassroots.

He further stated that, leaders use the language of religion and ethnicity or nationalism to hide their selfish ambitions; adding that, unless their hearts are set right, countries and nationalities would wander in confusion.

"Religion and love of one's political party are not evil in their essence but they become valuable if these impulses are used to contribute to building a global human community".**