By Edmund Mingle
Saturday, May 7, 2011
President John Evans Atta Mills yesterday, gave a firm assurance that the Electoral Commission will be fully resourced to effectively conduct next year’s general elections in a credible manner.
“The government would ensure that the Electoral Commission is provided with all the necessary tools to be able to conduct a very fair and transparent election in 2012,” he stated, in what is his first public statement on the conduct of next year’s elections.
Addressing the 39th Session of the General Council of the Church of Pentecost in Accra, President Mills also assured the Christian community that the government would promote and protect the electoral process in the interest of the nation.
“As the leader of the NDC and President of Ghana, I pledge that I will not do anything that will destroy this nation, and I pray to God for him to be my helper,” he said.
As partners for development, President Mills also urged the churches in the country, to play their role for peaceful elections, by preaching messages of tolerance.He said there was a need not to take the peace in the country for granted, and urged the Christian community to continue to intercede on behalf of the nation toward the sustenance of peace.
“Violence, acrimony and the use of abusive language will only give us minuses,” he said, and urged Ghanaians to live above petty partisan and parochial considerations.
In addition, he reiterated his appeal to the churches shape the moral consciousness of the nation, indicating that as ambassadors of the gospel, they have a cardinal responsibility to uphold the nation’s moral consciousness.
“There is every indication that if we are motivated by acts and deeds that are pleasing to the Lord, we would not fail,” he said.
He lauded the contributions of the religious bodies to national development, particularly in the areas of educational, health, water supply and humanitarian services, saying the government appreciates their partnership.
President Mills assured them that the better Ghana agenda was on course, and that more measures were being pursued to help in improving the welfare of Ghanaians.
“We do not perfection, but I can confidently say that we are doing our utmost best to build a better Ghana,” he told the General Council Session, which is under the theme, “Being led by the spirit of God.”
He thanked the leadership of the Church of Pentecost for the wise counsel it continues to offer the government, and commended it for the various interventions which have gone a long way to complement government’s efforts in improving the education and health sectors.
“May the good works of the Church of Pentecost continue to touch the hearts of Ghanaians, and may you grow from strength to strength,” he stated.
Apostle Dr. Opoku Onyinah, Chairman of the Church, in his address to officially open the session, gave the assurance that the church, which controls about seven percent of the nation’s population, would continue to partner the government to build a better nation that all Ghanaians yearn.
He commended the government for the many socials interventions it was undertaking for the benefit of Ghanaians and prayed for the success of the government.
In addition, he urged leaders of the nation to allow themselves to be led by the spirit of God, since that was the only way through which meaningful success could be achieved.
He also advised politicians to desist from making inflammatory statement which only incite their followers to act violently, and called for political tolerance.
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