Put elections behind, focus on peace — Presby Moderator
The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, has urged Ghanaians to put behind them issues about Election 2020 and focus on peace and national development.
He said the pre-election tensions, followed by some unfortunate developments during and after the elections, should in no way prevent Ghanaians from forgetting the past and travelling on the path of unity, especially as Christmas, a period of peace and oneness, approached.
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Rt Rev. Prof. Mante said this in a sermon he preached at the Trinity Congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana in Tarkwa in the Western Region of Ghana last Sunday when he worshipped with them as part of his visit to the Western Presbytery of the church.
"The fact that we have gone through one more successful presidential and parliamentary elections in this country requires of us to thank and celebrate the Lord. There comes a time in life when dwelling on our problems will just increase stress and anxiety in our lives. Those are the times when it is wiser to worship and praise the Lord," he said.
Protests
The moderator expressed concern about the series of reported electoral violence in some parts of the country since the election results were declared by the Electoral Commission (EC).
He said elections were an essential part of the democratic process and a means to manage political competition and conflict in a peaceful way.
He, therefore, urged all political parties that had problems with the declaration of the results, especially the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), to resort to the appropriate laid-down regulations to resolve them.
He said it was a source of concern that supporters of the NDC had resorted to street protests to register their displeasure about the outcome of the elections as announced by the EC.
COVID-19
The moderator also spoke about the social and psychological trauma brought on the nation by the COVID-19 pandemic and said amidst all that, there was the need for all to thank God and use the Christmas to celebrate the successes that came in the midst of the challenges .
“It will not be an overstatement to say that the social and psychological trauma that Ghanaians have gone through this year has the capacity to break the strongest of persons, if not handled well.
"It is against this background that I am urging all Ghanaians, rich or poor, to prepare and celebrate Christmas in order to do away with all the social and psychological trauma," he said.
Thanking God
The moderator urged Ghanaians to say a very big thank you to God Almighty for taking the nation through a very turbulent year.
"It is to this end that I wish to ask all of us to change gears and put our focus on praising and celebrating our Lord Jesus Christ during this Christmas season.
"As you celebrate this year’s Christmas, may you also find it in your heart to share what you have with the poor and needy," he said.