Opinions of Thursday, 8 January 2015

Columnist: Bokor, Michael Jarvis

Rev. Isaac Owusu-Bempah and his doomsday prophesies again?

Folks, the madness called “prophecy” is in full flight, so early in this year. The first one came from an Odiyifuo Tawiah barely two weeks ago that we quickly dismissed as obnoxiously opportunistic.

As if not wanting to be overdone, none other but the Rev. Isaac Owusu Bempah (Founder and Leader of the Glorious Word Ministry International), has sprung into action, gushing out a string of figments of an infested fertile imagination he labels as “Prophecy”. He was speaking on OKAY FM’s Ade Akye Abia programme.

His preamble is that “The year 2015 will go down in history as the year of cataclysmic dirges”. And what are the main elements of that doomsday prophecy? Four of them:

1. “I see the whole Ashanti Kingdom clad in black mourning a prominent person. [Refused to mention name]. I know, and God has shown to me what will happen to the Ashanti people. We must all pray for them to avert the bereavement”.

2. A flagbearer of a great political party will die, but was quick to add that some comrades of the flagbearer have consulted him for prayers to prevent the untimely death. “People pretending to love Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo but want his downfall should be very careful. I have seen them all, and I know those burying live cows to destroy Nana Addo’s presidential ambition. There are so many things going on, but I will work towards that.”

3. What is likely to happen to Ghana’s Vice President, Kwesi Amissah-Arthur this year will be perilous. “Revelations about the vice-president is dangerous than the president [John Dramani Mahama]. We must pray”.

4. “More celebrities will be jailed. A great musician in Ghana will die through sickness”.

(See 2015 Prophecies: Asanteman to mourn; Akufo-Addo, Veep in danger)

MY COMMENTS

This conman has the guts to go to this length because people create opportunities for him to gush out this kind of nonsense. He has his freedom of speech alright, and the right to ply his trade as a so-called “Man-of-God”. So also do we have the right to take him when he “brings himself” as he has been doing all this while.

What manner of “Man-of-God” is this who doesn’t foresee anything good about anybody or anything happening (or to happen) in Ghana?

The last time he originated rumours about the death of the Asantehene in South Africa, I thought that something drastic would be done to cripple him so he won’t abuse our senses and sensibilities any more. The so-called “spiritual forces” at Manhyia cursed him, threatened him, and vowed to take action against him if he didn’t apologize to the Asantehene and Asanteman. He didn’t budge, but nothing was done to him. He is an Asante and should know the consequences of his foolhardiness. Nothing more from me on that score.

Now, he has turned round to “prophesy” about the death of a prominent person to throw the whole Asanteman into a huge funereal mood. Although he wasn’t “man enough” to mention any name, one can easily infer from that part of his “prophecy” to suggest that he has the Asantehene on his radar. After all, which Asante is more prominent and whose death would shake the Asante roots so much?

Apart from the Asantehene, the next prominent personality is ex-President Kufuor; but if he dies, the mourning won’t be limited to Asanteman alone, which knocks him out of this madness from Owusu-Bempah.

As for his take on the death of a flagbearer of a great political party, no one needs any divination to know that he is talking about Akufo-Addo, which makes me wonder very much what exactly his agenda is. We have heard rumours concerning Akufo-Addo’s health, and Nana Akomea has just been debunking claims that Akufo-Addo has been “poisoned”.

For Owusu-Bempah to turn round to talk this way speaks volumes. And for him to behave as if he is Akufo-Addo’s spiritual fort makes me laugh really long, more so considering his claim that those ditching Akufo-Addo are burying live cows to reinforce their “against” manoeuvres. Burying live cows to thwart Akufo-Addo’s Presidential ambitions? Inconceivable.

The truth is that no one but Akufo-Addo is thwarting his own Presidential ambitions. We have written a lot on that score and won’t flog any dead horse but will opine that strategies for winning Presidential elections go beyond what Akufo-Addo has used thus far. And he hasn’t learnt the lesson yet. A long shot away from success!!

As for the nonsense about Vice President Amissah-Arthur and the so-called celebrities, not worth my bother.

This Owusu-Bempah needs serious disciplinary action to curb his kind of inanity. Is there a Christian Council in Ghana with any power/authority to discipline such errant characters abusing their calling in Christendom? These are the people who see nothing wrong with waywardness in their own circles but everything wrong with how President Mahama and his government are ruling Ghana. Such characters? The hottest place in hell is reserved for them, I daresay. Tweeeeeeeeeeeeeeaa!!