Presby Moderator expresses concern about rampant corruption cases
The Right Rev Prof Emeritus Emmanuel Martey, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, has expressed concern about the rampant reports of corruptions plaguing the nation saying the issue was due to lack of integrity among leaders.
He has therefore called on Christians to go into politics and disregard the notion that politics was dirty and not for Christians.
He said Ghana needed God fearing and people of integrity to rule the nation and take care of its natural resources for the benefit of all and also to avert the ‘resources’ from becoming a curse as had happened to other African countries.
Rt Rev Prof Martey said this during a summit organised by the African Forum on Religion and Governance, Ghana (AFREG-Ghana) which was on the theme “Developing Transformational Young Leaders from Africa to Impact the World-One Country at the Time”.
AFREG-Ghana forms part of AFREG-Africa which was established in 2006 in partnership with the Christian Association of Nigeria bringing together nearly 200 key leaders, representing 27 African countries from the Church, education, business, NGOs, politics and two heads of states with a commitment to do their part in the move to transform Africa.
The aims and objectives of AFREG include the establishment and promotion of religious tolerance and religious dependency, impacting the society and building a movement of African leaders of integrity and also to develop deep spirituality among African leaders that is God-centred and relevant to the African context.
Rt Rev Prof Martey, who is also the Chairman of AFREG-Ghana Advisory Committee, called on the Government to partner the church in raising morally upright people to be at the helm of affairs as Christians “make up 70 percent of the population”.
He said although young people could play very active roles in the political affairs of the country, they should be well groomed for such positions to enable them perform well and avoid controversies.
Rt Rev Prof Emeritus Martey urged pastors and other men of God not to be afraid to condemn the ills and the negative things which take place in the country as it formed part of their duties.
Prof Paul Buatsi, Vice Chairman, AFREG-Ghana Advisory Committee, said the organisation would establish branches in all the 10 regions to inculcate its vision in the youth and prepare them for future leadership roles.
He said political leaders with high moral and ethical convictions could effect the desperately needed changes in the society for the betterment of all.
“A prime example is William Wilberforce, a 19th century English politician who campaigned for decades to end the abominable slave trade that flourished at that time”, he said.
He said leaders we elect had a lot of influence on freedom adding that they could either choose to protect our right to worship God or otherwise.
“Clearly the more committed our leaders are to the vision of AFREG, the more our religious freedoms would be guided”, he added.
Dr Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, President, AFREG-Ghana, said AFREG-Ghana was hoping to build the capacity of 20,000 young leaders over next five years to enable them play their roles in the development of the nation as true and dedicated Christians.
“We want to work by embarking on leadership projects that actually make a difference in our communities and we are ready to learn from what is working, identify opportunities and effect changes in our own small ways”, he added.
He said AFREG had membership from the media, governance, family, religion, education, arts and entertainment adding that through the pillars, AFREG would influence the society.
Source: GNA