From: Stephen A. Quaye, Toronto-Canada.
The notion that Ghanaian priests are not to comment about governments their decisions, their performance or better still involve themselves in politics has been debunked by a staunch politician saying when things go bad they also suffers.
Chairman of the New Patriotic Party [NPP] branch in Montreal, Nana Duah, who was Asantefuohene and known in private life as Hans Peter Duah, was speaking to this reporter when he toured the area last weekend.
Nana Duah, challenged that it was not wrong for ministers of God to comment about the performances of political parties and governments since their decisions affects the ordinary people positively or negatively therefore when things are going wrong they have to say it same way when things are going smooth.
He said when the fuel price increases it affects them, suffer the same way as ordinary Ghanaian in the energy crisis, pay higher utility tariffs , higher school fees for their children and suffer from the bad roads as well..
The NPP chairman’s statement follows the recent comment passed by the former Presiding Bishop of Ghana Methodist Church, Rev. .Dr. Samuel Asante Antwi that, the incumbent NDC government has been performing badly therefore the need to reject it in 2012 and vote for the NPP.
People who do not agree with him claim the minster of God was not suppose to do politics whiles those who agree with him also says apart from being a minister of God, he is a Ghanaian and has the right to comment about the performance of the government.
Nana Duah referred critics to the old proverb which says, ”Okomfuo a osee kro beshe no eshe a otemu bi”, to wit,” the town priest who invokes brimstones and fire to consume the very town he resides in will not be spared when the disaster takes place”.
With this he questioned whether the priest, pastors and Christians alike as well as Muslims and traditionalists are all not being affected by the bad policies that government implement therefore which needs to be commented about?
According to the NPP Chairman, politicians when seeking the peoples mandate to assume offices as presidents, ministers, party executives consult ministers of God to pray for them to succeed.
But when they win power and start to perform poorly do not want these ministers of God to comment about their sinking leadership by offering good advice to them instead terming their advice as politicization which he described as unfortunate.
Nana Duah referred to the biblical recordings where Sodom and Gomorrah was to be destroyed by God through fire because of serious sins the people committed against God. He recounted that it was the man of God Abraham who interceded for the people where at a particular point God allowed evacuation of the righteous ones from Sodom and Gomorrah before the destruction.
He further pointed out that even before the destruction warning, God sent his prophets to go and warn the people several times ahead of the disaster to repent so that they would be saved but they failed to heed to God advice which warranted the destruction.
“The same way if we believe God blesses our home land Ghana then we have to ensure that he takes total control by making our presidents, ministers, politicians as well as the ordinary Ghanaian take decisions and live lifestyles that are in accordance to what he says.
“Here we will realized that we need the pastors, reverends, bishops, imams as well as traditional priests to point out to our presidents, ministers, party executives their short falls and the need to improve as well as praise them when performing good” he explained his point.
Nana Duah, observed that majority of eligible voters normally stay away from the election processes by claiming they are Christians or their religious beliefs does not allow them to vote. But when the process is over and presidents, ministers, party executives as well as politicians in general are not performing well they are the people who complains more than any body.
He used the opportunity to appeal to such persons to change for the better by ensuring that they cast their votes to elect leaders who will run the country adding” God permits that we elect these leaders to lead us that was why he made King Solomon a great king by impacting wisdom into him for his quality leadership.
The politician urged the priests to start using their pulpits in educating their congregation about their civic rights which voting to elect presidents, ministers and appointment of office holders forms apart.
Sounding too politician, Nana Duah called on all members of the New Patriotic Party[NPP] to start their campaign for 2012 now by using violent free tactics “since victory is already at hand for the NPP” he said.
End.
