Reject politicians who incite tribalism

THE Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Right Reverend Professor Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, has asked the electorate to reject politicians who campaign on ethnic or tribal lines as it has the tendency to pull the country apart.

He referred to the whipping up of ethnic and tribal sentiments during campaigns leading up to the December 7, 2020 general election as "demonic", and challenged politicians not to ruin the bond of unity among Ghanaians because of their insatiable quest for power.

"How can we move forward as a country if we are tribally divided, he questioned, adding that “no matter which tribe one comes from we are all Ghanaians".

Preaching on the theme: “Call to Service" at the Emmanuel Congregation at Berekum last Sunday to round off his week-long visit to the West Brong Presbytery of the PCG, he called for a united front by Ghanaians to reject politicians whose modus operandi was to use tribalism to win votes.

Such politicians, according to him, would rather divide the people instead of bringing them together for a common purpose should they be given the nod to rule the country.

Hate speech

Delivering the sermon, Rt Rev. Prof. Mante expressed concern about what he called “the demon of vulgar and hate language” that had characterised political discussions, especially on radio.

“The sort of language that comes out of the mouths of some young politician makes you wonder how they were trained,” he stated and blamed producers and hosts of talk shows for allowing such utterances to pass through their stations.

“How can a young man of about 20 something years sit on radio to insult an elderly person of about 70 years just because of politics? Who trained you”? he queried, adding that “this is shameful for us as a country”.

Reckless use of power

Rt Rev. Prof. Mante asked people in power, be it politicians, teachers, pastors among others, to be humble in the exercise of their power.

“Don’t say that these people did that so we will also do likewise since it is because of what they did that they were voted out of power,” he advised.

Commendation

For his part, the Omanhene of the Berekum Traditional Area, Daasebre Dr Amankona Diawuo II, commended the PCG for the establishment of schools, colleges, clinics and hospitals among others and providing social services to people across the country.

“The PCG has proven that it practices what it preaches and it is not only interested in preaching the gospel for the salvation of the people but also cares about their welfare as well.”