Accra, Sept .11, GNA - The Ghana Baptist Convention on Monday urged the Government to enforce laws regulating the conduct of society in order to ensure sanity and good conduct among the citizenry.

The Convention said the rate of lawlessness was appalling and noted that this had put the common person on the street at risk.

At a press conference in Accra to address some national issues, the Reverend Samuel Otu-Pimpong, President of the Baptist Ministers Conference, said all efforts of the Government towards good governance would have little impact, if it failed to 93enforce simple laws regulating the conduct of society".

Rev. Otu-Pimpong, who is also the Pastor in-charge of the Legon Baptist Church, mentioned particularly recklessness of drivers on the roads; the filth that had engulfed the cities and street hawking as some of the lawlessness that needed to be tackled and the proper laws applied.

While acknowledging the modest achievements and gains as Ghana prepared to celebrate its golden jubilee next year, the Convention appealed to State institutions like the National Commission for Civic Education and the Ministry of Information and National Orientation to intensify the education of the populace to refrain from politicising issues that impacted on national life.

Rev. Otu-Pimpong asked all Ghanaians to do away with the emerging culture of insults at all levels of national life and rather abide by the Ghanaian culture in the matter of respect for the elderly and people in authority.

The Convention added its voice against the menace of homosexuality and lesbianism in the country and called on all to frown upon it.

Quoting Biblical verses to back the stand against gay practice, Otu-Pimpong noted that the act itself 'defies common sense, it affects procreation and God seriously abhors it. All Christians and Ghanaians must therefore speak against that practice before it gains roots in the country'.

Rev Otu-Pimpong announced that the Convention would by the close of the year establish a Baptist University College with campuses in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region and Abuakwa in the Eastern Region.

He said far reaching measures had already been put in place towards the establishment of the University which would have the Schools of Management and ICT, Health Sciences, Theology and Ministry and Business Administration.

The University would be affiliated to the University of Cape Coast. The Convention also announced that the Ghana Church would host the annual gathering of the Baptist World Alliance in July 2007.

The gathering would comprise over 200 Baptist Conventions and Unions from some 170 countries worldwide to deliberate on activities of the Church and also pass a resolution that would move the Church and the world forward.

Among those who were at the press conference were the new National Executives of the Conference, including the national President of the Convention, the Reverend Stephen Asante and the Vice-President, the Reverend Dr Nii Amoo Darku.

Rev. Darku said there was nothing like gay rights because the act itself was wrong and did not attract any rights.

"There is nothing like gay or homosexuality or lesbian rights; it is against the rights of humanity, against the rights of culture and against the rights of God,=94 Rev Darku stressed.