KEEP PROMISES, UPHOLD TENETS OF ELECTORAL RULE (PAGE 13)

THE Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Rt. Rev. Dr Yaw Frimpong-Manso, has urged all the presidential aspirants to faithfully keep their promises and uphold the tenets of the electoral rules — free, fair, transparent and peaceful election.
He has also appealed to politicians in general to make a more productive use of the youth, rather than engaging them in conflicts and acts of violence, vandalism and hooliganism, particularly in the run-up to the elections.
“On our part as a church, I urge all agents to allow officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) to come into the Sunday worship meetings and to educate our members on the electoral processes, especially how to use the ballot papers, so that the spoilt votes will be reduced to the barest minimum this year,” he pleaded.
The Moderator, who made the appeal when he addressed the eighth General Assembly of the PCG at the auditorium of the Sunyani Polytechnic in the Brong Ahafo Region last Saturday, said: “Above all, let us pray for God’s guidance as we use our thumbprints to decide who the Lord will choose to rule the nation for the next four years.”
The theme for the six-day meeting, which is being attended by delegates from the United States of America (USA), Germany, the Netherlands and Sierra Leone, is: “Put on the Whole Armour of God”.
Rev. Dr Frimpong-Manso, who explained that the theme for the meeting required that Ghanaians counteract any acts that could cause conflicts with prayers, lead sound Christian lives and invoke the power of God around, said: “I urge all our members to cast their votes on Sunday, the 7th of December for us to elect credible people to represent us as our leaders.”
The Moderator also stressed the need for Ghanaians to guard against anything that would derail the gains of the current church growth and the democratic dispensation in the country, added that “it is in the light of this that we appeal to all the parties and their members to exercise restraint in the event of any extreme provocations before, during and after the electioneering.
He further appealed to the traditional rulers to avoid disputes and conflicts that would tend to tear the nation apart and also not to prevent their people from voting, particularly in Bawku, Buipe and other areas of the country, where there are ethnic conflicts and chieftaincy disputes.
He noted that recently, there had been stories of the revival of ritual murders in some parts of the country, which, he said, had been a matter of concern to all Ghanaians.
That, the Moderator observed, was an indication that the forces of darkness and the obnoxious cultural practices of human sacrifices were still prevalent among some people in certain parts of the country, which, he said, called for serious prayers and a national crusade against such practices.








Apart from praying about this, he emphasised that the church should “put on the whole armour of God” in order to bring about effective evangelisation and the understanding that Jesus Christ had paid the last price for mankind, through his death on the cross, adding that, “So we don’t need any human sacrifice to atone for our sins”.
He declared, “This is our belief, and this is what we must proclaim loud and clear as we put on the whole armour of God.”
Touching on education, the Moderator noted with satisfaction that against the challenging educational environment, some key institutions of the church continued to make great impact on the nation, and explained that last year, three of the church’s top institutions, namely, Aburi Girls, Prempeh College and the Presbyterian Senior High School (PRESEC), Legon, turned out a total of 1,318 students, who fully qualified for entry into tertiary institutions, with 10 students of Aburi Girls, making aggregate six.
Again, he pointed out that PCG institutions provided access to scholarships to 15,417 needy but brilliant students as well as the physically challenged pupils/students, a scheme, he said, was initiated by one Lois Wilson, on behalf of Westminster Church, Albany in the USA, which amounted to $8,400.
According to Dr Frimpong-Manso, there was also a steady growth of a church-based support for its institutions, which he claimed was a good sign of the church’s renewed commitment to education.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, in a speech read on his behalf, gave the assurance that the government was ever prepared to deepen its partnership with the church, especially in the areas of education, agriculture and health.
The minister also appealed to the church to continue to pray for the success of the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, so that they would be trouble-free, adding that the church should also educate its congregation on their civic responsibilities so as to help them exercise their franchise wisely.