PROPHETIC POLITICS

Roping The Clergy Into The Presidential Hypocrisy?

On Friday Nov 12 2010, President Atta-Mills invited the Ghanaian Christian Clergy from various denominations to the Peduase Presidential Lodge for discussions on some ‘important’ national issues. A report from the Ghana News Agency (GNA) spelt out the following facts.

Purpose for the meeting:

• The meeting had two sessions. The first was in the open and to the hearing of all gathered. The President expressed his appreciation to the clergy and the Christian community for their participation in this year's national week of prayer and thanksgiving, as well as their prayer support.

• The second part of the meeting took place behind closed doors. According to E.T. Mensah the following issues were discussed:
1. National Security;
2. Intra- and Inter- Party polarization;
3. The depravity in Moral Values;
4. The resurgence of the politics of insults on the national scene.
According to the GNA, the meeting was opened by Rev. Dr. Nii Amo Darko, a leading member of the Southern Baptist Convention of Ghana, the President of African Enterprise (a Christian NGO), and a member of Ghana’s Council of State. In a welcome address, he said something to this end:
“The church has a strong role to play in nation-building. The society thrives when the family, the government and the church played their roles well”.
He also stressed the need for a stronger and effective Church and State collaboration for rapid national development. With examples from the Bible, he sited state and church collaboration that benefitted the nations and their allies. Rev. Dr. Amo Darko said there were modern examples also of nations that had benefited, when the church teamed up with the state in addressing national concerns.
The GNA report further said the following groups were present: The Christian Council of Ghana; the Catholic Bishops' Conference; the Ghana Pentecostal Council; the Charismatic Christian Association and the Independent Churches Association of Ghana.
They were represented by the following: Rev. Dr. Yaw Frimpong-Manso, outgoing Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana; the Rev. Dr. Fred Deegbe, General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana; the Rev Dr Seth Ablorh of the Manna Mission, the Rev. Dr. Robert Ampiah-Kwofie of the Global Revival Ministries; Archbishop Duncan Williams of the Action Faith Ministries; the Rev. Dr. Christie Doe-Tetteh of Solid Rock Chapel International; and the Rev. Tackie Yarboi of the Victory Bible Church.
According to Mr Koku Anyidoho, Head of Communications at the Office of the President, the President impressed on the clergy to continue being the conscience of the nation and let their voices be heard on national issues.
Since this ‘Peduase Summit’, we have heard some of the participating clergymen point to the following causes for the moral degeneration, the deteriorating security situation: the very high levels of the use of insulting language in our public life and the turmoil within our body politic:
• The take over of our public schools from the control of the churches by the government;
• The removal of moral and religious teaching from the curricula of our schools ;
• That the ages of the armed and highway robbers fall within the early twenties- and that affirms the above two stated causes.
As a Prophet, and a clergyman, I also want my views to be heard by the President, the Christian community, and all fellow countrymen, as to why the present situation may be prevailing in the country. First of all permit me to lay the following foundations:
1. What is happening in Ghana may be nothing different from what is happening in other nations. This is because of the fact all of us humans have forsaken our God. We have rejected HIS laws and commandments. We love doing the wrong instead of the right;
2. Nations are mandated by God to institute human governments to make laws to regulate our societies. The laws must be such as to uphold the dignity of the human person and promote decency in society. The law-abiding must go about their duties without fear of intimidation and unjust punishment. The lawless must be resisted: Arrested, tried, punished and wherever possible, be taken through a system of reformation whiles under punishment;
3. The Christian Church, if alive and well in a state, is mandated to preach and teach God’s Word (the Bible) with the intention of transforming people from within. The Church also helps the citizenry to recognize that the human person has a capacity to live forever; and that this could only be achieved through the ‘Acceptance of Jesus Christ as one’s LORD and Savior’. This makes the Church the most important partner to government in morally sanitizing the state.
Please understand that in a multi-religious (pluralistic) state, there is ‘freedom of worship’ – there may therefore be differing approaches to the stated ends. And this makes it absolutely imperative that the State and the Church are kept separate.
4. Through a transparent system of taxation, the state raises resources to create institutions, systems and programs to lay the turf for each individual to ‘play his/her game’ to the delight and benefit of the community. Every law-abiding citizen must be made to feel that ‘he/she belongs, is needed, and appreciated’. There must be a social contract to make ‘each a neighbor’s keeper’.
5. The state also becomes the means through which an individual interacts with the rest of the world. The state acting through her government ‘slugs it out with other nations in the international market place’ to ensure that equity is assured in global transactions, to the benefit of the citizens.
In the light of the foregoing, I may want to add the following ‘suggestions’ to those made by the honorable clergy who were privileged to meet with the President:
• Any society that fails to punish known criminals; but pretends that such criminals are national heroes, will ultimately elevate crime to the level of an ‘honest pursuit’ – and her youth will ‘go for it’. “Woe unto the nation whose heroes are glorified criminals”.
• If there were any competition about the ‘Capacity to Spew Insults’ (CSI); the champions will certainly be some of the highest placed politicians – including those who bear the titles of Presidents, Ministers of State, Parliamentarians, etc. (and we unashamedly refer to them as Honorable, His Excellency, etc.)
• If our politicians are calling their opponents: Thieves, Criminals, Cocaine Dealers, Drug Addicts, Sexual Perverts and Immoral; what do you expect the youth to do?
• The sitting President is doing everything to lift up the name of Kwame Nkrumah to such heights that, many Ghanaians feel justifiably angered by it. What else is he going to name after Kwame Nkrumah? Nkrumah definitely has a pride of place in our history (but what the President is doing is completely out of balance and decency). There are several other Ghanaians who deserve some honor. And then he hypocritically turns around and says ‘the nation is polarized’. What a shame?
This President has publicly said that: “He cannot work with those who do not share his political philosophy”. He made this statement at a Press Conference at the Castle early in his reign.
He has ordered his District Chief Executives (DCEs) to give preferential treatment to NDC supporters who come to them for job placements (whenever there are any such slots).
This President has not said a word about the shameful manner Nana Akuffo Addo was treated at Cape Coast during the Fetu Afashye (initiated in his presence by Nii Lante Vanderpure- an appointee of his).
• When a whole President points to his opponents as those behind everyday crimes, this is outrageous. This is criminal and highly unbecoming of a Law Professor who also claims to be a godly man.

The Prophet’s Counsel
The story of Ahab, Jeshoshaphat, the 400 false Prophets and the Prophet Micaiah is told in I Kings 22: 1-40. The King Ahab managed through sleight, craftiness, inducements and pretense to hoodwink 400 Prophets to sing to his praise and unholy agenda. The Prophet Micaiah decided to tell the truth, and he suffered persecution for this. In the final analysis however Ahab allowed the false prophets to lure him to an ignominious defeat and death. I pray and hope that my very honorable colleagues spoke the truth to the President. If they did not, it is not late yet. It is an honorable thing to tell truth, especially to leaders who need to be so told!
Doubtlessly most of these problems predated you. You did not create them. But it seems they are getting worse under you - your high and boastful promises not withstanding.
You and your supporters bragged too much about your ‘holiness and ability to miraculously transform Ghana into a moral cauldron’.
Mr. President, some of us are getting worried about your style of leadership- it does not look good at all. And yet we know that you can do better. Please redeem your name – and do it now. You may not be better than any of those who have gone before you or are coming after you. Get real and play your part!!!

Prophet Micaiah
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