THEME: THE PEACEMAKER’S MANDATE: CONFRONTING THE ROOTS OF UNRIGHTEOUS GOVERNANCE 

Peace be unto the people of Ghana. 

Thanks be to God for the vision—and indeed, the compelling circumstances—that moved President Prof. Atta Mills to call for National Prayer and Fast. We salute the religious bodies, and specially the Christian Church authorities in the land, for accepting and honoring the Presidential ‘Macedonian call.’ The declaration of the 8-Day National Prayer Fast by the Christian Church is a noble response. 

We give thanks and praise therefore to God for the Presidential Message calling for reconciliation and peace in the land. Nothing is so crucial or critical now as peace and righteousness, particularly given the current spiritual and political crises, the economic pressures, concerns, and uncertainties about the Mills administration in the land. 

In the Sermon on the Mount, inaugurating the Kingdom of God on earth, the Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed among other things saying; “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God “(Matt. 5:9). It is good, in this regard, that the President has called for reconciliation and peace in the land. 

We are very hopeful therefore— and indeed, we call upon the professing Christian President, Prof. Atta Mills—to arrange for and cast the first nail to a coffin for the burial of political strife, conflict, disquiet, and threat to peace, stability, security of life, and national cohesion and unity, and security at the three gates of chieftaincy, political party, and government. 

It must be stated in this connection, that in the African context, political leaders and governments exercising the coercive powers of state, government, and political parties constitute and indeed pose the greatest threat to peace and stability, security of life, national cohesion, and unity and security of nations. Indeed, the military, police, and security forces of African nations, like in many nations elsewhere, operate with impunity and recklessness when leaders are unrighteous and wicked, when they are power-drunk and conceive of power in exclusive and oppressive terms only. 

The story of post-independence Ghana offers a firm and sure proof of the threat to peace and life by politicians, political parties, soldiers, and the Armed Forces of the land. There is no gainsaying unrighteous, unjust, and wicked governance has had stultifying effect on progress and prosperity of the nation. In fact, the people of Ghana have suffered much at the hands of post-independence governments far greater than at the hands of the colonial governments. “We prefer self- government with danger to tranquility in servitude,” said Nkrumah. 

If therefore, there will be peace, tranquility, stability, the security of life, progress, and prosperity in the nation, it rests more squarely on President Atta Mills, his government, and the supporting national security apparatus than on any other group or agency of people in the land.  

Second, the people who must endeavor to be peacemakers in the land are the political parties with all their paraphernalia of party gurus, machomen, party vigilantes, financial bootlickers, and conscienceless, lawless, and indifferent economic vampires and power opportunism that politics in Ghana/Africa is fraught with. 

The third area of threat to peace and tranquility, national cohesion, and unity, non-distorted national progress is the current spate of chieftaincy disputes in the land. This is Africa in pose! Here again, we call upon President Prof. Atta Mills to stop political party and government dabbling in, exploitation, and fanning of chieftaincy disputes. The Atta Mills administration seems to be rising in indulgence in hypocritical subservience to chieftaincy disputes for cheap, yet costly, and ultimately empty political gains. 

We humbly request that the President raise an axe to the tree of unrighteous, unjust, violent, and wicked governance, the abuse of power and indiscipline and careless handling of state, government, and political party power and with it the abuse of human rights, law, order, justice and moral decency in the conduct of human and national affairs.  It is apparent that ministers of state and political appointees in the public services are watering as well as festering the rise of unrighteous, unjust, and wicked governance with glee.  

This does not augur well for good governance, for people’s participation, and contribution in national processes. The administration of the land suffers when public servants who run the public services as governments come and go are rendered impotent and become indifferent, indiscipline, and corrupt. When the unrighteous rule, the wise hide and everyone else runs and works for gain. The Abuse of power becomes imminent, rampant in fact! 

The Bible calls on governments to save and protect the poor, needy, and weak, those accounted for death and deliver them from deceit, oppression, violence, and blood sacrifice. It is not strange, the Police seem to be engaged now in resurrecting the old wounds of government oppression through the perpetuation of violence, lawlessness, and disorder as a way of policy and governance. “Armed robbery” in politics and governance is not only unrighteous and wicked, but it also undermines public trust, political stability, and effective and meaningful participation in national processes, particularly in the realms of individual creativity and initiative, economic enterprise, and performance and social progress as a whole. Hence, the Bible says, “when the unrighteous rule, the people mourn.” (Prov. 29:2) 

March 24, 2010