Vice-President Calls For Sustenance Of Religious Tolerance

Vice-president Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has urged the different religious bodies to maintain the tolerance and peaceful co-existence currently prevailing among their members in the country. He stated that the peace in the country could not be taken for granted and added that without peace, the government could not provide the much-needed infrastructure to better the lives of the people. Mr Amissah-Arthur made the call when he joined a gathering of Muslims to mark this year�s Eid-ul-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice) in Takoradi on Saturday. He also advised the Muslim youth to endeavour to live in peace and shun indiscipline, criminality and immorality. He asked them to remember the lessons of the celebration, which were anchored on sacrifice, obedience and love. �Let us bear in mind that the unconditional obedience of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son and the teachings of the Holy Quran offer guidance on how the faithful can receive abundant blessings and favour from Allah,� he said. �As we commemorate this feast, I call on all Muslims to offer special prayers for the peace and continued political and socio-economic development of our country,� the Vice-President added. IMF programme Touching on the financial and technical assistance Ghana was seeking from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he expressed optimism that the economy would witness a recovery after talks between the government and IMF officials had been concluded. He said already there were signs of economic recovery, citing the stability of the cedi against the major international currencies, a development he attributed to the pragmatic measures the government had put in place. Ebola/cholera On Cholera which has claimed many lives in the country, Mr Amissah-Arthur implored Ghanaians to keep their environment clean and take measures to help health officials contain its spread. He said the government would also continue to put in place the needed measures to prevent any outbreak of Ebola in Ghana. He urged Ghanaians to be vigilant and report suspected cases of Ebola to the nearest health facility. While listing the symptoms of the disease, which were similar to those of malaria, the Vice-President advised the citizenry to avoid contact with the body fluids of suspected infected persons. He observed that good neighbourliness and Ghana�s own self-preservation informed the decision to site the headquarters of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) in Accra. Chief Imam The Western Regional Chief Imam, Sheikh Ustaz Ali Hassan Ali, called on Muslims to extend a hand of love and generosity to one another, since the occasion was a time to share. He asked Muslims to pray for the country, particularly the economy, in view of the positive signs of economic recovery.