Renowned Political Science Lecturer at the University of Ghana (UG), Prof. Ransford Yaw Gyampo, has urged Ghanaians to work together in fighting the world pandemic, the coronavirus disease.
He has urged all Ghanaians to respect the directives of the President and ensure total cooperation with the government by all stakeholders in fighting the disease.
Commenting on the issue for the first time, Prof. Gyampo said while the country may have “slightly delayed in taking certain drastic decisions to check the importation of this deadly virus to Ghana”, actions by the government are in the right direction saying it is “better late than never”.
Lashes out at churches
Prof. Gyampo has also lashed out at some churches who have questioned the president’s directive for the suspension of all public gatherings including church and mosques activities.
Many ‘mainline’ churches such as the Presbyterian Church, Ghana, the Church of Pentecost, the Methodist Church of Ghana, International Central Gospel Church, Perez Chapel, the Catholic Church among others have complied with the directive and have deduced alternative means of service. However, a few church leaders have raised concerns about the lack of consultations, prior to the directive.
Yesterday, the head pastor of the Open Arm Ministry in Kumasi was arrested when he gathered members of his church for service.
But according to Prof. Gyampo, Ghanaians must know that those who took the decision to ban church gatherings for one month in Ghana are not atheists. “They are part of the 70 per cent Ghanaians who are ‘churchically’ Christians. They are the ones who, in spite of all contrary views, are determined to build a cathedral for God in Ghana. They are Christians too and our church leaders must know that the church is not only about its pastors and leaders. It’s also about its members,” he said.
He asked the leaders of the churches that have raised issues to “know that they cannot be more Christians and more affected by the ban, than its members, some of whom, are the key policy makers who took the decision to ban church gatherings for one month.”
“Put differently, President Nana Akufo Addo is a Christian too. He doesn’t profess atheism,” he added.
While urging the country to respect and tolerate the dissenting views from some church leaders he added that “in the interest of public safety, the President’s decision must be respected too.”
He has thus called on the government to deal ‘ruthlessly’ with anyone found to have violated the ban.
“The few one-man churches that want to create problems by attempting to do contrary to the President’s directive must be dealt with. For, every democracy require some element of dictatorship to make it work well. Also, if politicians who are deemed “evil” by some people, have decided to work together to deal with a national crisis in the interest of humanity, churchical Christian leaders who, until God judges, are deemed to be “good, peaceful, and heaven-goers” by some people, cannot be seen to be doing what even ‘the politically evil’ won’t do,” he added.
Commendation
Meanwhile, Prof. Gyampo has commended President John Dramani Mahama for his call on his former appointees to offer support urging the former appointees do so with sincerity and without grudge.
“…we do not have many times in our democratic governance when the main opposition leader will call for public support of the ruling government in dealing with a crisis situation. It is not typical for an NDC flag bearer to ask his former appointees to offer support to the ruling government, in handling any situation,” he said.
