Pray for good leaders, not victory for preferred candidates!!

Elections in Ghana come with significant events as the case is in every country that cherishes democracy.

However, the periods before, during and after the elections are interesting moments because of the happenings in those times, some of which are risky to the country’s political growth and stability.

Furthermore, some of the happenings undermine the faith people have in God and certain members of the clergy, while they encourage politicians to stop at doing the needful.

In the face of the foregoing point, the Ghanaian Times supports the admonition from the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana, Right Reverend Dr Lt Col Bliss Agbeko (Rtd).

The admonition is that with the campaign for the 2024 general election gathering momentum across the country, the clergy must avoid predicting victory for or endorsing presidential candidates.

The reason behind the advice is that this state of affairs is to prevent factionalism in the Church.

According to the Right Reverend, factionalism means disunity and disunity in the church would have ripple effects on the country’s peace.

It is good that a member of the clergy is saying this and the Ghanaian Times expects that the clergy would adhere to his admonition.

It is a sad state of affairs that certain people in the country prioritise politics and, for that matter, the survival of their political parties in the corridors of state power over important matters that would help enhance its unity, peace and development.

For such people, anything said against their parties is heinous and causes them to react in any negative way in the churches and in their communities.

The Church has a huge role in the affairs of men or the society but definitely not with regard to matters that can foment troubles.

The Ghanaian Times agrees that there can be clergymen endorsing certain presidential candidates and their parties in the hope that when they clench power, the politicians can extend some favours to them.

This is wrong because even though the members of the clergy may have their preferred candidates in elections, they must shelve open support in order to not create disaffection against their persons and among the members of their churches, who obviously support different parties.

Besides, the clergy are preparing the grounds for party members and supporters of the non-preferred candidates to show disaffection towards them.

Also, clergymen identified as supporters of certain parties can have it difficult to have their suggestions to enhance governance accepted if their men are not in power.

On top of it all is that they would find it morally difficult to approach the “wrong political authority” for assistance in any form.

The clergymen are supposed to be unifiers who can have a say in any political administration in charge of the country’s affairs.

In that regard, any attitude of theirs that can cause confusion and conflict in the church and the country must be avoided and allow the God they claim to serve to inspire whatever they have to say in public.

They must stick to the scripture in 1 Corinthians 14:33 (King James Version) that “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”