Reverend Emmanuel Antwi-Tumfuour, outgoing District Pastor of the EP Church at Ablemkpe has said constructive engagement in putting forward ideas should be the best way to make the country’s voters’ register credible and not violence.
He said Ghana’s constitutional democracy has come a long way and as such violent acts should not be the way to demand electoral reforms from the Electoral Commission, which has stood the test of time in the conduct of elections.
Pastor Antwi-Tumfuor was speaking at a send-off meeting for him on Monday in Accra after serving a five-year term as the district pastor for the EP Church for Ablemkpe District.
He called on the Inter-Party Advisory Committee to step in to deliberate over whether or not the country needed a new voters’ register or the existing one should be cleaned to ensure credible election in 2016.
“As we approach 2016 election, interests groups like political parties, pressure groups, security services and civil society should promote healthy debate with regard to all issues of national concern particularly those relating to election,” Pastor Antwi-Tumfuor said.
He called for maturity in all the processes leading to the polls next year and stated that the unity and stability of Ghana and growth of constitutional democracy should be the watchwords.
To the citizenry, he said, they should strictly adhere to the by-laws of the various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies, who are the agents of development.
He cited the Korle Restoration Project, which has been stalled due largely to the action of residents, who disregard the by-laws of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly.
“Let us cooperate with the City authorities so that together we can maintain sanity in our communities,” he said and added that the national sanitation day programme instituted last year had played significant role in promoting environmental cleanliness.
On religion, he said, the constitution encourages freedom of worship and urged religious tolerance saying the show of arrogance which some religious leaders display in their preaching attacking other religions must be discouraged.
Pastor Antwi Tumfuor, who is also the Director of Evangelism of the EP Church, thanked the church members and said he is leaving with great confidence that they are capable of overcoming any hurdles that would come up.
“You helped me through some difficult times and shared the joyous times in yours. Some people judge their lives on what they do, others on who they are. I want my life judged on the friends I keep and how enriched I am from just knowing you,” he said.
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