Christian Council welcomes call for compromise

The Christian Council of Ghana has lauded the government's call for further negotiations to resolve differences over the ban on drumming and noisemaking in the Accra metropolis.

The Reverend Dr Robert Aboagye-Mensah, the General Secretary of the Council, told the Ghana News Agency that both parties ought to respect the agreed declaration of 2000, which was re-affirmed by the Greater Accra Regional Permanent Conflict Resolution and Management Committee on May 18, 2001.

Mr Ferdinand Ayim, the Special Assistant to the Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs, had, earlier at a press briefing in Accra, stated government's intention to enforce the laws on abatement of noise throughout the year.

He said the government had started negotiations with the religious bodies and the Ga Traditional Council for a compromise to avoid any confrontation that might degenerate into a crisis.

Dr Aboagye-Mensah, welcoming the government’s position, recalled a declaration by the Forum of Religious Bodies and the Ga Traditional Council that "all religious bodies confine crusades, conventions and usual forms of worship to their premises and avoid excessive noise during the period of the ban in the interest of peace and harmony".

The declaration also stated that "drumming and noise-making beyond the levels prescribed under the Accra Metropolitan Authority Bye-Law on Abatement of Nuisance (1995) shall be monitored by a joint committee comprising representatives of all religious bodies, the Ga Traditional Council, AMA and the Greater Accra Permanent Conflict Resolution and Management Committee".

Dr Aboagye-Mensah said the declaration also said all reports of infractions and infringements of the prescribed noise levels during the period should be referred to a Standing Committee, which shall have powers of adjudication and compliance.

He urged the parties to respect the declaration while government negotiated with the bodies concerned for amicable settlement.

Dr Aboagye-Mensah also reiterated the call by the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference and the Christian Council of Ghana that the directive should not be aimed at Christians alone.

He said Christians would continue to subscribe entirely to the content and declaration adopted in 2000 to ensure peace and harmony between the traditional council, and the religious organisations in "the interest of our constitutional and human rights as Ghanaians, and as legal persons in a country regulated by an approved Constitution."

The General Secretary advised religious bodies to exercise restraint and reduce the level on noise as "some of us make extreme noise."

Mr Prince Hodo, an Environmentalist, told the GNA that the noise level at residential areas is 55 decibels between 0600 and 2200 hours but this comes down to 48 decibels between 2200 and 0600 hours. In areas with some commercial or light industry, the levels are 60 decibels and 55 decibels in the day and night, respectively.

He said some immediate effects of noise include anxiety, reduced field of vision, gastro-intestinal problems, while the long term effects are physical and mental fatigue, insomania, bulimia, chronic hypertension, and depressive or aggressive behaviour. Mr Hodo advised people to reduce the sources of noise, its transmission and receptions in their own interest.