Agona Swedru, May 5, GNA - The Head Pastor of the Swedru branch of the Damascus Christian Church International, the Reverend Paul Gyesi-Acheampong, has called on Ghanaians not to blame the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), for the current economic woes of the nation.

He stated that people were complaining of economic hardship with no money in their pockets was a global phenomenon and said there was the need to support the government, work hard work and to show patriotism.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Agona Swedru, Rev Gyesi-Achempnong called on the people not to "expect that things will be well at all times as it used to be," saying the government alone could not provide employment, education, health, sanitation, roads and improve living condition.

He noted that workers used office hours for their private ventures, tax evasion and corruption on the part of people holding higher positions and yet wanted government to improve their living conditions. Rev Gyesi-Acheampong asked the people to desist from littering the streets and to maintain environmental cleanliness, saying, "The government spends billion of cedis to fight malaria and other diseases". "The people are not prepared to tell the truth or expose wrong doers at work places and other areas of importance and when the economy finds itself in shambles then the same people would stand to criticise the government for lack of a sense of direction and insensitivity to the plight of the masses" he stated.

He appealed to the people to assist the government and to support the economy to enhance effective democratic development in the country. Rev Gyesi-Acheampong said the Church was constructing a 500-million building to be completed in two years through fund raising, harvest and collection and establishing a school to enrol children in the community since education was the key for economic development. He said that a three-unit classroom would be constructed at an estimated cost of more than 150 million cedis while the Church was sponsoring four needy but brilliant children now attending secondary school with more than 50 million cedis.

The Reverend Robert Dei, Head Pastor of the Church of Grace Ministry, Swedru urged students to study hard and to desist from acts that would destroy their future. 05 May 06