Don’t always oppose government policies, Methodist Bishop advises opposition parties

The Bishop of the Winneba Diocese of the Methodist Church, the Right Rev. Dr John Kweku Buabeng Odoom, has counselled opposition political parties to desist from always opposing policies and programmes of the government since it was detrimental to the progress of the country.

He stated that the country was faced with a problem in the sense that “we always think that if a government is bringing a new policy, the opposition must vehemently oppose it to stifle its implementation’’.

He opined that the situation was the bane of the nation and that the country was not developing because the opposition was always looking at things from a negative point of view, adding that “such a practice must not be allowed to continue since it is an impediment to the growth and development of the country’’.

Anniversary launching

Rt Rev. Buabeng Odoom said this in an interview during the official launch of the centenary celebrations of the Ebenezer Methodist Church at Gomoa Ekwamkrom in the Gomoa Central District in the Central Region last Sunday.

The year-long celebration is on the theme: ‘’Hundred years of discipleship, the impact on society, sustaining our gains in community development’’.

Double track system

Speaking in relation to the double track system to be implemented in senior high schools, he noted that the yet-to-be- introduced policy was an innovation which should be embraced by all towards tackling the challenges arising as a result of the free SHS policy.

“I believe the government must move on and implement the policy properly so that the challenges may be minimal in order to achieve its intended purpose,”he said, adding that “the country must have a clear-cut policy whose implementation will dictate the direction of the country’s education system.I believe that once the government has come out with this idea, it cannot be thrown overboard but rather all stakeholders must come together and reason with the government to ensure its successful implementation.’’

He stressed that it was not necessary for the new policy to be condemned and thrown away since it was a temporary measure which would be for some few years after which the old system would be brought back.

He indicated that “if we really want this new double track system to work, it will work and all Ghanaians irrespective of their political inclination should support its implementation since it is not a bad policy’’.

Handover of mission schools

The bishop urged the government to consider handing over mission schools to churches to enable them to make meaningful physical and spiritual contributions to the growth of the educational sector.

He added that if churches were empowered to take over their schools, it would further improve performance and ensure discipline among students, stressing that ‘‘the growing indiscipline among SHS students would be reduced to the barest minimum’’.

Agents of development

The NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Gomoa Central, Mrs Naana Eyiah Quansah, commended the Methodist Church for its numerous contributions to the growth of the country, particularly in the areas of education and health.

She implored the church to continue to support the government in the implementation of its policies and programmes towards bringing relief to Ghanaians, saying ‘‘the church is a major stakeholder in the development of the country and should always keep the government on its toes towards the transformation of the country’’.