President John Dramani Mahama has charged the clergy to be bold enough to call firebrand politicians to order when they make hot headed statements on public platforms.
President Mahama made the call when he met the clergy on Thursday in the Ashanti Regional capital Kumasi on his ‘accounting to the people tour’.
The President made specific reference to the recent headline sexist statements made by the Assin Central legislator, Kennedy Agyapong, whose comments were directed at the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC).
“Often when the elections are coming up; the political rhetoric ratchets up and very careless and unfortunate statements like one (referring to Kennedy Agyapong) that was made recently that everyone has been talking about,” he pointed out.
He, however, cautioned the clergy against taking sides and judging selectively in their criticism and chiding of politicians who go errant.
“Your role as arbiters means you should be neutral because if the clergy takes sides then we lose the moral authority to arbitrate. So it doesn’t matter if it is NDC which is ratcheting up in intemperate language; you must be free to point out to that party. It doesn’t matter if it is NPP, you must call them to order. It is only when we do this; that we will have that moral authority, to arbitrate this political regime,” he buttressed.
The president further charged all politicians to be mindful of the examples they leave behind and be cognisant of the fact that they will leave the scenes after serving their tenures for other successors to assume their positions.
