60th anniversary must reconcile nation - Dr Opuni-Frimpong
The General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, Reverend Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to use the 60th independence anniversary celebrations to reconcile the nation.
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He said the theme for the celebration, “Mobilising for Ghana’s future,” was one that called for reconciliation to heal all wounds and pains.
Sharing his perspectives on the celebration with the Daily Graphic, Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong said in mobilisation, “you leave no one behind. You go into the future with everybody and not just only your sympathisers, relations and friends, but including those you call enemies.”
Healing the wounds
“Now the challenge is, how can we get everybody along? How do we mobilise not some but all? Having in mind the recent seizure of property and verbal attacks and all that in
public discourse, it suggests to us that a part of us is hurt, some are deeply wounded and that is seen in their expression and how people are waiting for opportunity to pay back others,” he said.
Rev. Opuni-Frimpong said the Christian Council was concerned about the recent development in the country and the council was of the view that there was the need for a programme to respond to the grievances of people.
“We should not just brush them aside. No! we need every Ghanaian to be part of the celebration and, therefore, people must have a platform to express the pain within and that must be vigorously considered in planning the celebration.
“If we do not take care, we would be pushing pain into the future because, now you are doing it to somebody and when that person also gets an opportunity in the future you know what to expect,” Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong said.
Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong said as long as some people were hurt, and felt no need to be part of such celebration, there was the need for reconciliation, irrespective of who was right or wrong, warning that if care was not taken, some people would be cut off and that would defeat the theme of the celebration.
National Reconciliation
Dr Opuni-Frimpong recalled that the National Reconciliation Commission recommended that from time to time there was the need for the nation to create a platform to reconcile one another.
In view of the need for reconciliation, he said, the Christian Council wished to suggest that after more than a decade of the commission, there was a need for the country to have a national reconciliation programme to address the concerns and pains of a section of the country.
Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong, therefore, felt that the 60th anniverary celebration was a perfect opportunity for the country to reconcile and together forge ahead with the development of the country.
Retaliation
He said the spirit of retaliation that was creeping into the national politics was dangerous, and the situation where everybody was always ready to deal with the other anytime there was a change in government must stop somewhere.
Dr Opuni-Frimpong said such retaliation was extending into other areas such as in the chieftaincy and the public service anytime there was a change in government, “and that must stop.”
“We must get to a point that as a country, consciously we decide that these are not the legacies we want to leave behind and we do not want to go into the future with this,” he added.
He said it was not enough for a government in power only to condemn wrongs being perpetrated by supporters, but that there was the need for a conscious programme to respond to some of the challenges anytime there was a change in government.