Many Christians wince in pain when a man of God anointed to preach the gospel to the poor, heal the broken-hearted, preach deliverance to captives, recovering of sight to the blind and set at liberty them that are bruised strays from these core duties and rather ventures into the turbulent and murky waters of partisan politics.

Yet, it seems that the vogue these days is for the man in cassock to attack the NDC and President Mahama. Why not? Pastor Mensa Otabil dd not do exactly that; he only told the NDC to stop using his messages for their campaign and instantly, he became one of the most talked about personalities in Ghana. For almost two months in the run up to the 2012 elections, his name competed with President John Mahama and Nana Akufo-Addo in the media, at market places, in schools, at churches, on the streets, at akpeteshie joints and in most homes and offices. So, why won’t Dag Heward Mills also venture into murky waters of partisan politics and thrown vain malicious blow at the NDC?

Yet, for a man of his stature, many were expecting that Dag Heward-Mills will raised the intellectual discourse of our politics if he so wishes to venture into this arena. Sadly, to say he has been empty and vain is an understatement; the truth is that he has been infantile!

The kind of argument he has raised simply marks him out as a hummingbird when it comes to politics and partisan politics. It will have been best for him to do more research therefore into politics in Ghana before he speaks. Sadly, he has chosen not to do so and rather inflicts his ignorance on us.

Unfortunately for the populace, they are certain to hear more infantile arguments from Heward-Mills because he has the platform via his church to continue to do so.

The first sign of ignorance the Bishop and Founder of the Lighthouse Chapel International exhibited in recent times is his claim that there is no difference between the NDC and the NPP. This claim is both disappointing and laughable; the difference between the NDC and the NPP is as wide as that between Israel and Palestine. It can therefore be only out of ignorance (or mischief) that he will claim the NDC and the NPP are the same.

When a few days ago, we heard Heward-Mills calling on President John Mahama to begin honouring the promises he made on the campaign trail, we sensed the malice behind it. The call was made at a time that the President-elect had not yet been sworn into office and therefore had not yet put in place the Council of State which is mandated under the constitution of Ghana to assist him in appointing Ministers of State who will assist him to run the country. How then could Dag Heward -Mills call on the President-elect to begin honouring his promises? Is it not just like telling a woman on the eve of her wedding to begin giving birth because she promised to give birth to twins after she gets married?

But, we understand Dag Heward-Mills. Obviously, Mr. ‘All-Die-Be-Die’, Nana Akufo Addo is his choice for the Presidency hence the victory of John Mahama does not sit well with him. Unfortunately, there is nothing he can do about it because it is God’s will that was done in the election of John as President. Let every man be a liar, God alone is true!

In yet another effusion, we heard Dag Heward-Mills advising that 30% of all government contracts should go to the opposition NPP. Was Dag Heward-Mills not in Ghana when the NPP won power in 2000 and 2004? Why did he not tell the then NPP government to give 30% of all government contracts to the NDC? Where was he when instead, the NPP government went after businesses owned by NDC members like Eddie Annan and ensured their collapse?

For Dag Heward-Mills’ information, the Mahama Administration will give out contracts using due process. The person or group of persons competent enough to execute a contract will be given the job regardless of his or their political affiliations. The interest of Ghana supersedes any other interest as far as President John Mahama and the NDC are concerned. However, if an NDC contractor and his NPP counterpart are both found to be competent to execute a contract yet only one must be chosen, the NDC contractor will be chosen! Period! This is a matter of common sense!

Did we hear Dag Heward-Mills saying the Junior High School and Senior High School system is bogus and useless because it lacks integrity. Hear him;

“…in my opinion there is nothing more bogus and useless than the JHS and SHS system that we have introduced and they should come back to ‘O’ Level and ‘A’ Level and go for the Examination Council of England not Ghana WAEC where everything is ‘apo’ (leakage of questions – there is no integrity in the exams at all, it is a bogus systems.”

Obviously, the Bishop has no insight to Ghana’s educational challenges. First of all, does he know when ‘apo’ began to leak in Ghana’s educational system? To say it was after the new educational reforms were implemented that exams questions began to be leaked is to be dishonest to one’s self. The greatest calamity that can befall a man is when he begins to lie to himself; that is exactly what Dag Heward-Mills is doing to himself.

To say Ghana should return to the old ‘O’ and ‘A’ level system is no different from saying Ghanaians should stop using mobile phones, Ipads, CD players and pen drives and return to the days of using landlines and gramophones!

For the Bishop’s information, the need for Ghana to reform its educational system was recommended as far back as 1973 by the Dzobo Committee set up to find out why the kind of graduates being churned out by the educational system in the country were not suitable for the job market. Yet, because of the cost and challenges involved, no government had the guts to implement it until the late 80s when the PNDC decided to do so.

The old school system which Dag Heward-Mills wants us to return to was one which trained students for only white colour jobs. Technical and vocational Skills were not taught at the time. So, when a student fails at the ‘O’levels and cannot go on with his education, he finds that he has no employable skills either, be it technical or vocational to fall on to make ends meet. So, ‘O’ level holders who could not find jobs after failing to continue their education ended up either unemployed or as trotro mates, shoe shine boys, etc. The educational reforms which brought the JHS and SHS into being was therefore to solve this problem by equipping students with technical and vocational skills so that in the event that they are unable to continue their education, they can pursue a trade depending on the technical or vocational skills they majored in at the JHS and SHS level.

Yes, the educational reforms have been fraught with problems but is that surprising especially in a developing country like Ghana. That finance is at the heart of the problem goes without saying. Dag Heward-Mills will serve Ghana a lot if he can launch a crusade calling on institutions which invest millions of cedis on such useless ventures as beauty pageants and plough the money rather into our education. This will help equip labs, technical and vocational workshops in our schools to enable students receive quality education.

Sadly, many institutions in Ghana, rather than invest in our education invest in such useless activates as Mix Lux, Miss Universe, Miss Ghana and Miss Mailika beauty pageants where all we get is brain dead girls flaunting their buttocks and cleavages at men who drool as they look on with glee. Is it any wonder that now, all that many Ghanaian girls are interested in are beauty pageants? That is where they will win cars, Accra-London-Accra tickets, two-bedroom houses etc.

Now, go to any festival and you will find that the main attraction is the beauty contest. So, today, we have Miss Hogbetsotso, Miss Akwasidae, Miss Aboakyir, Miss Asafotufiam, Miss Akwambo and many more.

In our tertiary institutions, what many of our young ladies are interested in is Miss Legon, Miss IPS, Miss KNUST, Miss GIJ, Miss UDS, Miss Cape Varse among others where they can flaunt their buttocks at drooling men or have sex with judges secretly to win the competition and take home cars. It is in these beauty pageants that Guinness, Accra Brewery and Kumasi Brewery among others prefer to invest.

This is what is wrong with our educational system. It is what Bishop Dag Heward Mills should be crusading against to improve the quality of education in the country instead of calling for the return of a system that churns out Methuselahs who do six years in primary school, four years in middle school, five years in the secondary school before ‘O’level and another two years before ‘A’ level!

While we are at it, since Dag Heward-Mills is showing so much concern for the nation, let him first remove the log in his eyes by paying taxes on the books and CDs he has been selling; then he can begin to pontificate and make unholy calls on others. After all, is it not true that he who calls for equity must come with clean hands?

More Anon!