INTRODUCTION
We, members of the National Executive Council (NEC) and Heads of Churches and Organisations of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) at the end of our Annual Conference at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa-Fetteh, having prayed and deliberated on the current state of the Church and our nation Ghana hereby issue the following communique for the attention of our members and all Ghanaians. Matters addressed in this Communique include: A call to prayer; Warning against false prophets and false prophecies; Call for a violent-free election; Political Vigilantism; Rise in the spate of road accidents; The Corona Virus; Financial Sector Crisis; Resurfacing of Galamsey and the destruction of the environment and Corruption
FOR THE CHURCH AND CHRISTENDOM
We are grateful to the Almighty God for ushering us into a new year and a new decade in a peaceful manner. We are especially grateful to God for His mercies over us as a Council when we successfully celebrated our Golden Jubilee in 2019. We call on Ghanaians and particularly all Christians to pray for all nations of the world where there are conflicts. We also solicit prayers for Christians all over the world who are going through all forms of persecutions because of their faith in Jesus Christ.
We reaffirm our commitment to work together with other Church Councils to deal with the proliferation of false prophets and their false and alarming prophecies, which have in recent times and ahead of the 2020 general elections become a source of concern not only to Ghanaians, but to the Council as well. In as much as the Council believes strongly in the biblical doctrines of prophecies and miracles as signs of the workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives as Christians and the Church, the wanton abuse and manipulation of the sound doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ by these charlatans for their egocentric interests ought to be exposed and condemned by the majority and genuine Christians. As already forewarned by our Lord Jesus Christ that in the last days many false prophets shall arise, it has become our responsibility once again, to warn all Ghanaians and particularly the Church of the activities of these charlatans. We must return to the study of the unadulterated word of God as the surest way of countering these false prophets.
NATIONAL CONCERNS
We call on all Ghanaians to unite in our resolve to ensure a violent-free, transparent, inclusive, free and fair 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections. To this end, we call on all stakeholders to cooperate and support the Electoral Commission in the exercise of its constitutional responsibilities in delivering a credible electoral outcome acceptable to all.
We also urge the Electoral Commission to endeavour in the spirit of inclusiveness, tranparency and fair play deepen its consultative processes, especially through its time-tested Inter- Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) to ensure that all parties to the electoral process have a deep sense of confidence in the Commission and its work ahead of the General Elections.
Following the recent CDD Afrobarometer report of the existence of many Political “Vigilantes“ groups in parts of the country inspite of the ban on their activities, the Council is not the least impressed with the weak explanations offered by the two main political parties, the NPP and NDC on their continued existence. We call on the NPP and the NDC to show genuine commitment to the fight against this canker by returning to the National Peace Council (NPC) Mediation process and signing the final agreement. We call on the Attorney General to as a matter of urgency brief the nation on steps taken so far by her office to implement provisions of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019. To this end, we call on the youth of Ghana to collectively commit to shunning all politicians and political parties using and intending to use them to forment violence before, during and after the 2020 elections.
The Council is alarmed by the steady increase in the numbers of motor related deaths and injuries over the last few years in spite of the several remedial measures being undertaken by the Police MTTD, the National Road Safety Commission and other stakehoders. More alarming is the fact that deaths and injuries relating motor accidents is threatenening to overtake others as the leading cause of deaths in Ghana, assuming a public health dimension. We are therefore calling on the government as a matter of urgency to declare Motor Accidents as a National Public Safety Emergency, allowing for the mobilisation of all forms of resources, both national and international as was done with HIV/AIDS, Ebola and other epedimics to find an immediate and lasting solution to this carnage on our roads.
The Council notes with concern the declaration by the World Health Organization of the Corona Virus as a World wide Health Emergency. We have taken note of the measures being put in place by the Government to address any emergency. We, however, urge the Government to maintain its surveillance of the spread of the virus and take proactive measures to hold the Country in readiness to meet any outbreak in the Country. We urge the agencies concerned to intensify the education of the public on preventive measures that must be taken to prevent the disease from finding its way into the Country.
We wish to call on the government through the Finance Ministry, the Bank of Ghana and the Securities and Exchange Commission to without delay take steps as promised earlier by the President, in his new year message, to pay in full monies owed thousands of individul Ghanaians and institutitions as a result of the Financial Sector Clean up. The clean up has brought untold hardships to many Ghanaian individuals, families, businesses as well as non-profit institutions, thus threatnening the very survival of many families, especially the very vulnerable populations at the micro level. As a Council, we are willing and committed to mobilising and joining the massses on the streets to demand full payments of all locked up funds of ordinary Ghanaians should government fail to address the issue in the shortest possible time.
The Council notes with grave concern, the resurfacing of Illegal Mining (Galamsey) in some areas of the Country and the consequent pollution of our water bodies and degradation of our environment. We call on the Government and the Security Agencies to as a matter of urgency take steps to revive the fight against the phenomenon in order to protect our environment. We also propose the establishment of a special court to deal with Galamsey related issues so as to expedite the prosecution of people who are engaged in such unpatriotic activities.
The Council again notes with concern the unearthing of certain corruption related cases recently. We take particular note of the missing five hundred (500) Excavators, the missing four hundred (400) Tricycles and the case of bribery in the purchase Airplanes for the Ghana Armed Forces. We call on the Security Agencies to conduct serious investigations into these scandals and to bring to justice anybody found culpable in any of these aformentioned cases
In conclusion we reaffirm our strong belief in the Ghanaian through the Church of Jesus Christ, to rise once again to the challenges of nation building, urging all to eschew all forms of negative attitudes that draw back national progress and the sense of patriotism.
God bless our Homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong.
Issued by:
The National Executive Council
Rev. Prof. Paul Frimpong-Manso – President
Most Rev. Sam Korankye Ankrah – 1st Vice-President
Apostle Eric Kwabena Nyamekye – 2nd Vie-President
Rev. Emmanuel Teimah Barrigah – General Secretary
Rev. Clement Anchebah – National Treasurer
Apostle Dr. Aaron Nartey Ami-Narh
Apostle George Yeboah
Most Rev. Dr. Charles Agyinasare
Bishop Samuel Noi Mensah
Rt. Rev. Dr. Nana Anyani-Boadum
Rev. Dr. Seth Ablorh
Bishop Dr. Gordon Kisseih
Rt. Rev. Dr. Setorwu Ofori
Bishop Dr. Samuel Prince Baah
Rev. Francis Sey
NB: Contact of General Secretary – 0242703772/020823269