By CHRISTOPHER ARKO

Rev. Dr Paul Frimpong Manso, President of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) has cautioned the clergy against giving prophecies on who would win the December 7 elections.

According to him, nobody has a mandate in Ghana to prophesy which party would win in the upcoming December elections.

“How can God say party A will win and at the same time party B will win, this creates confusion and it is ridiculous.

“We have seen what is happening in America. In Ghana, we win elections through campaigning, selling our ideas, and telling people to come and vote for us, after voting the Electoral Commission counts the votes and declares a winner,” he said.

Rev Dr Frimpong Manso gave the caution at a forum organised by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MoPA) when it engaged with Religious Leaders and the National Media Commission in Accra.

The meeting which is on theme: “Towards Democratic elections in December 2020: The Perspective of the National Media Commission and Religious Leaders” is intended to contribute significantly towards peaceful, free, fair, and transparent elections.

The working dialogue is also in support of the safety and security as the nation prepares for December 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

Rev Dr Frimpong Manso also appealed to the clergy not to get themselves involved in such issues which he says bring their image into disrepute.

He said unfortunately the public associate most of these clergymen who go about giving these prophecies to the Pentecostal and charismatic churches, saying they do not know them or the organisation they are under.

He stated that the GPCC does not support any self-style clergymen giving prophecies to political parties saying the continuous prediction that one particular would win but fails to win in the December elections could create confusion.

Mr Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo, Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC) stated that the philosophy of the NMC is not an institution that was intended to punish people but to facilitate free expression.

He also urged the religious groups to take a keen interest in the development of the NMC and how it discharges its mandate.

He appealed to Ghanaians to use civil language in their interactions on radio and other media platforms since the opportunity given them is a privilege.

Mr Ayeboafo also admitted some weakness in the media landscape of the country but asserted that there were certain things which are typically Ghanaian and need to be fought from the perspective of Ghana and not from the perspective of groups.

He announced that as part of the NMC’s role to monitor coverage of the 2020 election online and to check fake news launched an app dubbed “Ghana Election Watch”.

He said beginning Monday 23, November 2020 the NMC intends to visit various media organisations and to interact with them and their audience on how to ensure the use of civil language on their platforms. (GNA)

Update news