HARDSHIP IN SOCIETY

TOPIC: HARDSHIP IN SOCIETY

MEDIA HOUSE: PLUS FM

DATE: 21: 07-2016

Prince: Good morning Reverend Dr. Opuni-Frempong

Rev Dr. Opuni-Frimpong: Good morning Prince and let me say Good morning to your cherished listeners

Prince: it’s my pleasure having you. Here we are you are admonishing fellows in the Christian community and your religious colleagues to speak for the under privileged to speak about the hardship in the society. What is it driven this particular concern?

Prince: let me thank you for the opportunity and say that the story raised a lot of concern last Sunday when the Christian Council of Ghana had what we call pastoral visit to worship with Kanda Presbyterian Church. Now we have strong presence of the church in this country and sometimes we want to ask what is the public relevance of Christians what we do. Ordinary people are in church but church should not only be just in the sanctuary, the church must be present with the people wherever they are. The presence of the church must be felt on our roads, it must be felt on our institutions – academic institutions, banking halls, in every sector and in politics. Now at the moment and recently we have been witnessing a kind of indiscipline on our roads that you recall a number of deaths in accidents 40 people dying on the spot, 20 people dying on the spot etc.  These are very abnormal things becoming normalized. You find indiscipline in terms of public discourse, utterances that somebody must come in. you find in public universities what we call essential courses so Ghanaians who can’t afford government scholarships. Now the fee-paying programs for the special courses like medicine, law, engineering very expensive that many ordinary Ghanaian home can afford and many more, human right abuses and in this instance you expect that church leaders especially will identify and team up with their people so that church is not just am waiting for you Sunday come to church but am there with you when such things are happening  and you we want to hear a stronger voice of the church as we record  against unnecessarily killings on our roads and our pavements that is why that opportunity to call on Christian leaders in this country to intensify we need to do more, we are doing something yes but if you analyze the way things are going on we must increase our efforts and be there where the people needs us most, journey with them for the m to see that the church is present with us so these are the admonishing we are giving to especially Christian leaders in the country at this moment.

Prince:  And as you said this you are quite clear about the failure of on the side of Christian leaders to speak for the vulnerable in the society, why could you and why is it that on the side of the Christian leaders?

Rev Dr. Opuni-Frimpong:You can pick it from what I will call theology, If you have understanding of Christian theology that is not holistic enough. If you have a spirituality that suggests that people are spiritual or people of faith if they know how to pray and fast and they just stay in church Monday till Sunday  they are good Christians, then your theology or Christian understanding may not, challenge you to participate in public issue or interest, matters and all that but if you have a holistic understanding that a human being is not the spiritual being but the human being is also is economic being, the human being is social being the human being is an academic being,  so what happens to people in your church whether is in the economy, energy or whatever affects people or members in the church our Christian understanding must be thought in all that in totality of humanity. Now if you have that Christian understanding then you can’t just respond to issues about prayer that some people always want to stop there, fasting and deliverance but you also want to respond to energy. My people are going through and some of these people can’t buy generators. What is the church’s response, how are we engaging policy makers, how are we even educating people in various instances on how to handle your capital or profits. So I think it has something to do with, let me tell you the understanding of spirituality and Christian understanding; we need a broader understanding that will let the churches teaching respond to every facet of human life but another side at the moment in this country is also how some politicians deliberately are tagging Christian leaders and attacking and insulting and many voices and wisdom are gradually being silenced because if you are not ready for the verbal attack and sometimes some people will call you on phone and insult you and attack you and some will go on pubic and that one is not only Christian leaders; there are many researchers, university professors and there are many big men who have decided to keep quite sometimes because we feel that who is this person who is insulting me in terms of academic work, in terms of exposure in life and all thatand if you are not ready for that but we can’t use silence as an option. When our people are going through challenges we must journey with them so silence basically cannot be an option, we are going through election; the churches and Christian leaders must position themselves be active participants in the process and so there may be others but for the sake of time and other things, I think the churches must address this issue of Christian understanding theology, we need a theology that is holistic that responds to every facet of human life and we must also rise above the current manifestation of unnecessary  attacks on leaders- here is not on only Christian leaders  that deem to suggest that you better keep shut or quite please silence cannot be the option at this moment.

Prince:You talked of the challenges and the dangers here in as much as you call on Christian leaders to speak up and talk about the issues confronting the people of Ghana so as you give this particular advice, what form should it take I mean in terms of these Christian leaders speaking on the high cost of living for instance, human right abuses brought indiscipline, exploitation of the weak and vulnerable what more should the narrative be?

Rev. Dr. Opuni-Frempong: what you are doing with me this morning Prince is one because in Akan they say “neaɔretwaesa no, onnimsεn’ekyiakyea”. Our leaders need feedback from their people; if politicians are raising some of these issues it becomes political. Civil society groups like the churches, Muslims and others must re-echo what their people are going through, our feeling of course sometimes you might feel attacks – aren’t you doing politics but  we must be sincere to ourselves that is from our constituencies the people who are close with us, these are the things we hear from them so through press releases, the sermon we preach, media engagements but I think we must engage our leaders. There must be a better platform for engagement where the Christian leaders get closer to our national leaders that this is what we are hear from the people, we are not doing this for any political party

Prince:  I think you have available avenues currently of meeting leaders of the country to speak to them and telling them what is on the ground. Is there not any avenue available?

Rev. Dr. Opuni-Frempong: Yes but Prince from where I stand we need to do more. Christian leaders not only on the national level like say Christian Council but even in the region, in the district. Christian leaders in the region must engage their leaders, they  must engage the traditional leaders, the must engage those who are spoiling our water bodies and all that because a poor farmer his or her land has been destroyed by some people who have money to do whatever and this poor farmer has lost his voice and we are saying in the community, at the regional level, at the national level that sometimes you hear one or two voices and depending on the attack you receive and how much you can absorb then we push it behind us then we need to sustain our public engagement, we need our advocacy processes and ministry.

Prince: Rev. Dr. what is really your opinion like when politicians misconstrued on statements made by Christian leaders are and they tend to be political meaning like the example you sited a while ago.

Rev. Dr. Opuni-Frempong: Is very unfortunate Prince because sometimes on one breadth you hear our political leaders literally inviting Christian leaders in fact religious leaders but because of the context we are having our conversation inviting Christian leaders speak up, talk, tell us if we are making mistakes. This year for instance I have heard His Excellency the father of our land President inviting church leaders how many times, and he is not the only one and sometimes even ordinary people you will hear where are our pastors, where is the church, what are you doing and then the pastors do their study, discussion and do their research and  sometimes the very people who are inviting you into the conversation  are the only people depending on what you sayare also on your neck that why are you here, go to your church, don’t talk about some of these things and it makes it very frustrating and very unfortunate but let us understand that good governance is a collective responsibility. Our political leaders, everybody must appreciate that we all want the good for our land and if we want to pray the prayer in our national anthem that“God bless our homeland Ghana, and make our nation great and strong” we must keep in mind it will not take only politicians to make Ghana great and strong. We need everybody, we need media, we need civil societies, we need Christian leaders, we need Muslims leaders so deliberately let us reposition ourselves that every count – so we will count everybody’s contribution and voice and if it happens that some voices must be silent as if they don’t matter then we are not doing ourselves any good so Prince it’s unfortunate, is frustrating when sometimes you hear Christian leaders come and help, education, come and help in job creation then if we say why have we not done XYZ  then they turn their guns towards you that you are doing politics. I believe Christian leaders wants the best for our land and their fate must be given to them to play their roles and make significant contribution. To be able to do so, it will make significant contribution towards the process of good governance and development.

Prince:Rev. Dr. let me just remind our listeners that we are speaking to the General Secretary of the  Christian Council of Ghana – Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frempong who has indicated that the church has been silent on many of the issues confronting the Ghanaian today  and indicting leaders in the Christian community to speak up but Reverend some may ask that why do you have to wait close to an election to make this particular call because for some it may sound like a verdict on the government especially when the council talks about economic hardship and many  other challenges

Rev. Dr. Opuni-Frempong: No, Prince if you study the trajectory of a body like the Christian Council of Ghana, the Christian Council will be 87 years this year and you would realized that the council has not changed in the way we do things. We are out there for the common good of the people. Let somebody study the Christian Council of Ghana towards the independence, during the one party state, during the revolution and this republic and what the Christian Council has done.  We have not changed; we are neutral we are not partisan, when NPP was in government there were so many stance of the Christian Council of Ghana that they did not like. A typical example is when they wanted to take religious and moral education from the curriculum the Christian Council of Ghana and the Ghana Catholic Bishop’s Conference stood and they spoke till government had to go back to the drawing board and so many things. There have been several instances that whether you are talking about Acheampong, Akuffo and Rawlings so Christian Council has not changed so those who would want to go what you have just suggested must challenge the Christian Council of Ghana that have we deviated from the way we have done things over the years. Such bodies have preferential interests for the disadvantage of the poor. We always on the side of the ordinary poor or the disadvantaged so if somebody who is a politician interprets statements not only this one but what do we do and you are doing this for this; please let me use your platform to plead with them that the Christian leaders in fact in our churches we have all of them as our members. We are for the common good of the land. We don’t work for any political party. I don’t work any political party and I will not accept any political appointment; I will live and die as a pastor, I can’t be NPP or NDC soour Moderators and our Presiding Bishops are over and above partisan politics. Where we are I don’t need any political appointment for anything and whether party A is in power or party B is in power I don’t get any direct benefit from anybody so please let us rather encourage our leaders to play their significant rolesand if somebody has that notion that when church leaders participate in public discourse they do it for any particular body, please let me use your platform to disabuse our mind from such that is not our principle and that is not the way we work and that has not been part of our history anybody can study our trajectory and know where we are coming from and you realized that we have been able to stay in focus in terms of our principles and approach about national interest.

Prince: Dr. Reverend I pointed to you that government may disagree on some of the issues you raised like high cost of living, human right abuse,gross indiscipline, exploitation of the weak or vulnerable those are issues that are likely to have government to disagree with you and don’t you think that reinforce that notion that close to an election year you are making them and you are passing a verdict on them.

Rev Dr. Opuni-Frimpong: Prince, if you talk about indiscipline on our roads and I get somebody to say but why are you saying it? Have we talked to that person who lost a son or a daughter in that accident that 40 to 50 people died? That is what we are talking about. Prince school will be re-opened especially in our institutions how much students who are into medicine, who are into  engineering what they are paying minus hostel and other fees; just check are there realities on the ground. Now the rate we are hearing killing – a father has killed that,  a father has abused his daughter or step daughter and impregnating them, issues from media- some of the issues you’ve been reporting when we raise these issues are there one political issues, are these issues NPP, NDC issues? Aren’t they national issues?Prince, the galamsey issues we are talking about, the indiscipline in the pavement; is this what political party’s issues, are these not national issues? Can’t we draw lines between party issues and national issues? Issues whether you are NPP or NDC you must admit that these challenges are confronting our nation and we must address them as a nation and not as a political party. Can’t we draw lines between partisan issues them we are not talking about political party issues we are saying these are national issues that is confronting all of us; Let us address them and on this I will plead with anyone who think that when we talk about indiscipline on our road, people driving through red light, when we talk about unnecessary killings on our roads these are indictment on any particular political party  that is not our intention at all and for us national interest must be upheld at all times.

Prince: And do you see any difficulty in getting your credit to associate the fact that you are just speaking to national issues.

Rev Dr. Opuni-Frimpong: You know sometimes I mean politicians will always be politicians. You see sometimes some of them will come to your studios especially NDC – NPP and behave as if they are the worst enemies as if you give them gun they will shoot themselves now let them close from your studio and be in another platform; funeral you may be surprised to know some of these politicians I mean NPP-NDC who are out there as if they are enemies. They exchange gifts, money, sometimes one can say to the other “can I use your car?’, “can I come and pick your car” but why they will come out there to do sometimes the things they do. Sometimes you will even get some political parties coming to that as for this you are pastors you must raise your voice but then the way they position themselves sometimes their foot soldiers also feels that the best they can do is to go there and insult and attack so I want to accept and appreciate the fact that some of them do appreciate objectivity in some of the things but maybe because of the political lenses they wear and all that sometimes they behave as if the reality are not the issues that we must address but we must address issues that will facilitate their political interest but how long can we go that way. We have ordinary people who are calling for people to identify with them and raise their issues for somebody to hear and that is what to me Christian leaders must do and we should not fail our people.

Prince: Reverend you have still not answered my question as to why few months to an election and now that you are raising these issues. Why?

Rev Dr. Opuni-Frimpong: I told you earlier on that it is not now. That has been our practice; it’s not like we just woke up this morning and say hey election is coming lets that start talking. Now go through our website read the stories but not the recent, go through – I said Christian Council is 87 years and see if we have changed the pattern of our practice and the way we engage the society. We have not changed anything and it was the word you used that why now and I am saying it is not a now issue it has been part of our approach to issues there is nothing like why now that is how it has always been.

Prince: We are going to be talking to the Executive Secretary for the media commission, Emmanuel is here with us in the studio and we are talking about the media process in Ghana going into the polls what the specific concerns are especially in relation to the recent issues that has come up about the interpret language and abusive language that are used in our I just want to know your take on what the media has done so far to deal with some of this things and your entire valuation of the media specifically the Ghana media.

Rev Dr. Opuni-Frimpong: Prince, the media has played a significant role towards our democracy. We have come such far among such other things. By the contribution the various media houses, because now there is a very strong participation of civil society groups. Ordinary people are participating on all these course and they do understand all because how the media has been able to bring issues closer to them especially the mother tongue ones. People go to farm and carry their radiosets with them and they understand. They are able to bring even technical concept say budget and all that to the level of ordinary people so in terms of public participation media has done very well but I think the challenge is some of the media houses in terms of ownership; you know some has been set up by politicians and so in terms of editorial policy, they know what they want and therefore you don’t go to such platforms for objectivity, you don’t go to a media station that has been set up by say NPP to give a congratulatory, the pluses and mark the president even if the president has done what Napoleon couldn’t do  such media houses will still want to condemn him same if you go to a platform set up by NDC person no matter what the opposition NPP will do they will still want to condemn; now this is our problem. And then also the commercial size of media where now people want to increase the size of their listening audience and therefore feel that the way to go is a stragetionalism instead of pushing for information now it’s not; but I think the various media houses must work on what we call co-operate image. There are discerning listeners- it’s not true that all Ghanaians want to go for insults and attacks. I will plead with some co-operate bodies not to advertise their products where insults and attacks. Ghanaians must start changing the channels; let’s go for where wisdom, decency, respect are being exhibited and change the channel and stop giving advertisement to them and in no time some of them will know that we have gone beyond verbal attacks and insults but on the whole I must say that the media has played significant contribution to our democratic process only that we still have a long way to go.

Prince:I want to thank you very much Rev. Dr. Opuni-Frempong.

Rev. Dr. Opuni: Thank you Prince.