Obuasi, May 14, GNA - The Obuasi Diocese of the Methodist Church, has called on the government to take steps to mitigate the hardships that the citizens faced, especially the poor and the marginalized in society as a result of world pressures. According to the church, recent world events threatened to erode the economic gains chalked and that the government had to remain focused to ensure that the economy would withstand the pressures from the fuel price hikes among other things.

In a communique issued at the end of its 11th Synod at Obuasi, the church reiterated its call on the government to ensure that the right policies were adopted to enable the country benefit from the oil discovery in parts of the country. The communiqu=E9, signed by the Right-Reverend Benjamin K. Asare, Bishop of the Diocese said; "we wish to re-echo the concerns raised by many on the need to put in place prudent policies for the efficient management of the oil-find".

"The Cape Three Point oil-find should not be allowed to go the way of the Obuasi Mine and the Obuasi community which is deprived in many respects, in spite of many years of gold prospecting", it added. Touching on the December general elections, the church cautioned political leaders and their followers to be wary of "political waywardness in speech and actions that had the tendency to ignite trouble in the country. "All political stakeholders are enjoined to speak and act with maturity and decorum to avoid political turmoil and destruction in our country," it said.

It called on the government to ensure a level playing field and resource the Electoral Commission (EC) with the needed logistics to ensure the success of the elections. "The EC should be transparent, political parties should play it fair and electorates should also vote wisely. This way, Ghana will demonstrate to the world that Ghanaians are capable of managing their own affairs", the communiqu=E9 added.