Nana Kofi
Introduction
The political terrain in Ghana is replete with statements by media houses and Journalists, bordering on issues of socio-economic challenges such as high unemployment rates among the youth, poor healthcare service characterised by limited hospital beds, high costs of living, rising inflation rates as well as shortages of essential infrastructural developments. Amidst these challenges, Paul Adom Otchere, a Journalist, who was appointed by President Nana Akuffo-Addo as the board chairman of the Ghana Airport Authority, has stated that “Ghana as a country needs a national cathedral in order to secure “salvation” in respect of the socio-economic and political crises confronting the nation.” This blogpost holds a contrary view, contending that the “salvation message” being peddled by the journalist is not only a scam of unpardonable degree, but also a calculated ploy intended to deny the Ghanaian population of accountable governance. Against that background, this blogpost alludes to some religious interventions sought by the two leading political parties- National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) – with a view to enhance the wellbeing of Ghanaians, reasons why religion should not feature in the political affairs of the state, strategies to move the country forward. It must however be stated from the outset that this blogpost is not anti-religious nor against the practice of Christian values by private individuals in government.
Religious Interventions in Ghanaian Politics
The virtues of religion and religious activities pervade the arena of Ghanaian politics in many respects; namely: praying and invoking the name and blessings of God upon politicians during national events or political rallies; so that, they would be filled with divine wisdom to fashion out sound strategies to promote the welfare and prosperity of the people as well as avert national crises. Specific examples of such invocations are: Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, former Minister of Energy, who urged Ghanaians to Pray to God for enough rains into the Akosombo Dam to stem erratic power supply in the country (Myjoyonline.com, May 28, 2014, 17:52); former President John Agyekum Kuffour, invited a group of pastors to pray for rains into the dam, at a speech delivered at the Volta River Authority (VRA), where he affirmed that: “God will not allow the dam to hang”(Daily Graphic: July 30, :2007); “ A prayer marathon to seek the face of God to intervene in Ghana’s economic fortunes is expected to be held on Wednesday, Republic Day (Myjoyonline.com June 30, 2015); and, Bishop Abraham, founder and leader of the Christ Living Faith Miracle Ministry , on Sunday, urged Christians to pray for leaders of the country without ceasing” (Ghanaweb.com, February 21, 2022). Without exception, the NDC and the NPP had engaged divine interventions in an attempt to solve socio-economic or political crises in Ghana, at one time or another. Perhaps, the above precedents might have emboldened the journalist in this case, to lend his voice towards the building of a national cathedral as a panacea to redeeming the socio-economic challenges of Ghanaians. As pointed out in the above, the “salvation message” is a scam on one hand and paradox on the other. It is a scam in that it offends national conscience by seeking to suppress the creativity, critical thinking prowess and hardworking tenets required of the ruling Ghanaian political leadership, whose primary obligations are to protect and enhance the welfare of Ghanaians rather than enriching themselves through corrupt and devious policies. Paradoxically, Ghana is endowed with many mineral resources (Gold, Cocoa, Timber, Bauxite, Oil, Manganese and uranium) for which the people deserve a humane standard of living without reliance on “salvation”. After all, Ghana has been independent for 65 years, yet the country is retrogressing and clogging in the mire of poor political leadership undergirded by insatiable avarice and greedy- the two potent forces responsible for the country’s miseries. The misery of the Ghanaian economy, which is manifested in the deplorable state of infrastructures, poor healthcare delivery, high costs of living standard coupled with endemic corruption among echelons of power, affirm the view that “salvation” is not the answer; rather, a political leadership with the stamina, vision and passion to treat, respect and protect the lives and resources of Ghanaians without seeking solace in delusional projects, like a national cathedral. This calls for relegating the “salvation message” to the gallery of priests and pastors; thereby, focusing on substantive policies which address the socio-economic, political and technological needs of Ghana. By utilising domestic capacities and resources as engines of growth and development, a political leader with positive character can transform substantively the fortunes of Ghanaians and the country as a whole. For true salvation means the following: a country with sound and better economic policies, quality education system with modern learning resources where no child learns under a tree or swim cross dangerous rivers to access learning centres, provision of enhanced social benefits aimed at protecting the dignity of older and disadvantaged, and a proficient healthcare service where no mother nor patient sleeps on a bare floor. To realise true, real and substantive salvation as intended by God for all humanity, including Ghanaians, the scam of “salvation” as advocated by the journalist must be “exorcised“ from Ghana’s political arena.
Banishing “salvation messages” from Ghana’s Political Terrain
Like in many African and developing states across the world, religion, which is supposed to be the source and motivation of advancing the welfare of humanity, has rather become a conduit through which majority of individuals are exploited by politicians for economic, personal and social benefits. This also explains the fierce opposition with which religious pronouncements by political figures in Ghana are greeted. For example, in ‘politicians, pulpits and god’, Brian Wheeler, on 22 April, 2014, alluded to Alastair Campbell’s famous quote of “we don’t do god” to warn former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, not to fuse his political speeches with issues relating to god. Without demeaning the personal faith of Tony Blair, the essence of the “we don’t do god” statement was to remind Tony Blair of his key obligation to devise policies and programmes which would enhance the dignity and human rights of the British people socio-economically. As espoused by the Journalist, the falsehood of the “salvation message” induces scepticism among majority of Ghanaians as well as lends credence to Richard Dawkins’ God delusion, which frowns upon religion in public space/politics. In God Delusion, Richard Dawkins (2006) criticised the essence of religion in public space and governance, arguing that: “The key people in history, the ones who have shaped society, were not religious. They merely cloaked themselves in the respectability of Christianity to achieve their political goals. Therefore, societies have been shaped by a bunch of fakes, promoting religion as it serves their purposes.” Undoubtedly, Dawkins’ statement attracted several criticisms and condemnations from academia and religious groups, such as: “Richard Dawkins Demonstrates a Profound Ignorance of Philosophy” and “A REBUTTAL OF RICHARD DAWKINS’ THE GOD DELUSION 1.” Despite these condemnations, the fact still remains that religious statements like those pontificated by the journalist, numbs the creative, critical and ingenuous thinking capabilities of Ghanaians to contribute novel ideas in promoting the welfare of the country. By the same token, such “salvation message” undermines the public/citizens’ resolve to criticise and hold accountable under-performing politicians, particularly the current president of Ghana. Thus, such “salvation message” must be banished from the political corridors of all governing parties of the state; so as to introduce a culture of critical thinking which produces novel strategies to solving the socio-economic challenges of the country. Similarly, a selfless leadership, who is able to marshal the rich resources of the country, mobilise the ingenuity of the youth as well as harness public support, will lead to creating a prosperous nation for all Ghanaians. That is what salvation in action stands for; and, true salvation means the absence of endemic corruption in government and public places; absence of brazen poverty in the cities, towns and communities of Ghana, including a better functioning health-system anchored in sound economic structures.
The Way Forward
Going forward, a conscious and sustained attempt need to be devised in order to regain a status of substantive independent state, devoid of illusory pronouncements such as “salvation” and “national cathedral”, which gender no material benefit economically or socially for Ghanaians. Following are some suggested initiatives that will potentially uplift Ghana from the doldrums of political and socio-economic threats:
- Loyalty to the country, typified by loyalty to Ghanaians, is in short a criteria against which political leaders must be selected and adjudged. This is crucial because Ghanaian politicians are primarily servants employed by the state to serve the needs and welfare of the people. Thus, loyalty in respecting the rules, values and welfare of Ghanaians are essential to upholding the dignity of Ghanaians.
- Another initiative critical of saving Ghana and its people from socio-economic quagmire, is to fill public offices with people endowed with positive character. Positive character entails being sensitive to the general public welfare by crafting national strategies, transcending political, tribal and ethnical frontiers.
- A substantive effort should be made by all governing political parties to eliminate religious beliefs, tenets, values and teachings from national policy formulations; so as, to focus central government’s attention in providing critical infrastructural needs, lasting socio-economic plans and transformative leadership, to enhance the general good of the country.
Failure to “exorcise” cheap and fickle statements such as the “salvation” and the “cathedral panacea” from Ghana’s political landscape will deepen the woes of the people. These messages resonate with Karl Marx’s famous assertion that “religion is the opium of the masses.” Like the continent of Africa, the “salvation” message being peddled by the journalist has the sole prospect of misleading, suppressing and numbing critical thinking among the Ghanaian populace. Building a national cathedral will never resolve the myriad of socio-economic challenges in Ghana nor “save” the country and its citizens on any front.
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