Clergy must call careless politicians to order - Mahama charges

Europa

July 1, 2016 9:52 AM

The president’s comment comes on the back of allegations by the Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong that the EC Chair traded her body for her position.

President John Mahama has urged the Clergy and traditional leaders to call to order politicians who make careless statements that could derail the peace of the country.

President Mahama while addressing members of the Clergy and the Business Community in the Ashanti Region on Thursday said “Often when elections are coming up, the political rhetoric ratchets up and very careless and unfortunate statements are made, like the one made recently that everybody is talking about.”

“...And when things happen like that and gets a bit hot, it is you the clergy and our traditional leaders who must come and call all the politicians to order.”

“Your role as arbiters means you must be independent and neutral because when the clergy takes sides then we lose the moral authority to arbitrate and so it doesn’t matter if it’s NDC that is ratcheting up intemperate language, you must feel free to point it out to that party.“It doesn’t matter if it is the NPP, we must call them to order. And it is only when we do that, that we can have the moral authority to be able to arbitrate in this political regime. Ghana is bigger than any politician."And so sometimes when our heads get hot, it is your duty to call us to order and let us remember that Ghana will exist long after all of us are gone.”

Meanwhile, the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has called on the Member of Parliament for Assin Central Kennedy Agyapong to apologise unreservedly for making abusive language against the chairperson of the Electoral Commission Charlotte Osei.

A statement signed by Most Rev. Joseph Osei-Bonsu, Bishop of Konongo-Mampong and President of the conference said "We, like others who have spoken before us, also consider the verbal attacks on Mrs. Osei by Mr. Agyepong as distasteful, offensive and abusive and should be condemned by all. We trust in the ability of Ghana’s Parliament and the leadership of the New Patriotic Party to bring Hon. Kennedy Agyapong to order."

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