Put Ghana first in your campaigns – Catholic Bishops tell politicians

The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) has urged Ghanaians to put Ghana first in their political campaign so as to preserve the peace and unity of the country.

In a communiqué issued at the end of its plenary in Sunyani last Saturday, it expressed concern about attempts to introduce and inflame religious passion in political discourse and activities as the country prepared for the 2024 general election.

It said Ghana, as a nation, was a secular state, recognising the right of all persons to practice any religion and to freely form or belong to any political party of their choice, irrespective of their religious affiliation.

“We, however, urge all Ghanaians to respect this prescription of our Constitution and avoid any attempt to engage in a “politics of religion”.

Decentralisation
It urged all stakeholders to revisit the issue of the election of metropolitan, municipal, and district chief executives (MMDCEs).“This will make the MMDCEs accountable to the people at the grassroots.

It will also promote participation, transparency, accountability, and development in the districts,” it said, adding that it would make members of the community take their destiny into their own hands.

It said the “myriad of developmental challenges confronting communities, including galamsey, deforestation, environmental degradation, flooding, and dissipation of public resources, among others, could be better addressed through an efficient decentralisation system.”

It said an effective decentralisation system was the way to bring governance and its benefits to the people and improve the participation of citizens in the governance process.

“It enhances democracy at the grassroots, inclusiveness, and accountability. Sadly, the decentralisation has become a mirage,” it said.

The economy
The GCBC acknowledged the current global economic crisis, which has affected the growth of the country’s economy.

While acknowledging the effort that the government had made so far to handle the impact of the crisis on Ghanaians, it said it was, however, true that the country had not been able to manage its economy well.

“This has contributed to the current economic woes in which we find ourselves.

We have had to resort again to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The current economic hardships are becoming unbearable for Ghanaians,” it observed. It, therefore, called on the government to take urgent steps to stabilise the economy to bring relief to Ghanaians who had to bear with the current difficulties.

“For growth and sustainability, we also call on the government to use the right approach in implementing policies, reduce its size, minimise waste, promote the common good, and review and remove all of the abuses related to benefits in Article 71 of the Constitution of Ghana,” the communiqué stated.

Military brutalities
It expressed regret about the recent happenings in Nkwanta in the Oti Region and Bawku in the Upper East Region that led to the deaths of some citizens, with several people wounded and properties destroyed.

It, therefore, called on all parties involved in the ongoing conflicts to smoke the peace pipe and work towards reconciliation and peace.

The GCBC denounced the recent military brutalities in Garu and its environs in the Upper East Region and called on the military to ensure that their approach to restoring security and peace had a more professional touch and not the use of brutal force in the course of their work.

Source: Graphic Ghana