Continue to pray for country's leadership - 2nd Deputy Speaker to religious leaders
The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Andrew Asiama Amoako, has called on the country's religious leaders to pray for the nation's leaders to be truthful and sincere to the call to lead the country.
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"Pray for our leaders to be truthful and sincere to our call so that we can actually serve the people of God," he stated.
He said the leadership of the country needed spiritual guidance to help them make decisions that would lead the country into prosperity.
30 years celebration
Mr Amoako was speaking at a mock parliament and debate programme organised at the University of Cape Coast last Wednesday as part of activities to mark the 30th anniversary of the Parliament in the Fourth Republic and Ghana’s return to democracy.
The event and engagements were to educate the populace, especially the youth, on their heritage and ignite a sense of commitment for the country's democracy.
The forum was attended by religious and traditional leaders, civil society groups, worker unions representatives, security agencies and students.
Provide spiritual direction
Mr Amoako, who is also the Member of Parliament for Fomena, called on the religious leaders not to stop praying for the leadership, but to support leadership with spiritual guidance and advice.
"Don't leave us alone.
Guide us with your spiritual direction.
It's very, very important," he stressed.
Mr Amoako stated that with hard work from both leadership and citizens, prosperity for all would be achieved.
The Second Deputy Speaker noted that the country's current stability did not make the country immune to political upheavals and must be protected by all.
"The Ghanaian people must not be allowed to lose faith and trust in our democracy,” he stated, emphasising that it was important to continue to reassure all, especially the youth, of the dividends of the democratic dispensation and to urge them to continue to support the democracy.
On sustaining the nation's democracy, he said all Ghanaians must be encouraged to value the country's democracy and work to jealously protect the democratic dispensation.
He congratulated the shapers of the Fourth Republican Constitution which, he noted, was useful for building a better and peaceful Ghana.
He said the recent adventurism of security forces in the governance of some countries in the sub region must be a signal to all that Ghana’s current achievements did not mean it had been completely insulated from military interference in the political governance of the country.
He further stressed the need for the youth to be made to understand why the nation's forebears chose democracy as a path to development.
Commendation
The Second Deputy Speaker commended the students and participants for exhibiting excellent and intelligent debating skills and discourses, saying it gave the leadership hope that the country had great people who would be ready to take up the leadership mantle in future.
Other speakers
Other speakers, including the Members of Parliament for Cape Coast North and South, Kwamena Mintah Nyarku and Kweku Ricketts Hagan, thanked Ghanaians for sustaining the country's democracy and appealed that it should not be taken for granted.
The MP for Awutu Senya West, Gizelle Tetteh-Agbotui, called for more women's participation in politics.
Central Regional Minister
The Central Regional Minister, Justina Marigold Assan, commended Parliament for the many bills passed and others repealed and for its inspirational leadership to the nation over the 30 years.
Debate
After the mock parliament session, three tertiary institutions engaged in a debate on the topic: ‘Smart phones and artificial intelligence has made students and lecturers lazy.’
The University of Cape Coast, which spoke against the motion, won the debate with 205 points, followed by Takoradi Technical University, which had 169 points and Cape Coast Technical University placing third with 135 points.