General News of Tuesday, 13 May 2014

Source: The Chronicle

Our Leaders are big liars - Bishop fumes

The Diocesan Bishop of the Obuasi Methodist Church, Right Reverend Stephen Richard Bosomtwi-Ayensu says the leaders of our time are big liars, as mismanagement and stealing have taken centre stage in the day-to-day administration of the country.

The Methodist prelate stressed at the official opening ceremony of the 17th Annual Synod of the Mount Zion Methodist Chapel at Mangoase in Obuasi that, “leaders of our time are nothing but big lairs,” adding that lying in our societies cut across the political sphere.

Bishop Bosomtwi Ayensu indicated that Ghana is gradually becoming an expert in begging and borrowing, saying too much borrowing would never bring any development to this nation.

He wondered why Ghana was wallowing in abject poverty and queried what had become of the various natural resources the country is endowed with.

“South Africa has taken advantage of its gold for the comfort of its citizenry,” he noted, and questioned the usefulness of our cocoa, gold, timber and oil in the face of the hardship Ghanaians are currently facing.

The Methodist Bishop bemoaned the rate at which people embrace lies and reject the truth in our society.

Rev. Bosomtwi-Ayensu said he could vouch that disclosures of audit of loans and borrowings could send a majority of Ghanaians to their early graves.

In obvious response to President Mahama’s position that borrowing would be the order of his time, as a way of improving the lot of Ghanaians, and for the fact that, “we did not borrow to drink or eat; we borrowed to bring facilities such as electricity and water to the people of Ghana,” the Methodist Bishop asked the President to explain which type of water: pipe-borne, well or borehole, he is referring to.

He also pointed to the bimonthly or quarterly price adjustments of fuel and said it is putting many business budgets in disarray.

According to Bishop Bosomtwi-Ayensu, Ghanaians are living in uncertainty, since prices of goods and services change anyhow at the expense of future plans.

“By the operational and strategic attitude of the Public Utility and Regulation Commission (PURC), I am tempted to suspect that the Board has something fishy to hide from Ghanaians,” he stated, and quarried “why the PURC always announces price increase of fuel on holidays, at dusk, midnight, weekends and April Fool’s Day.

The Bishop expressed worry and disappointment at the PURC, which he accused of not doing genuine business because it is always announcing new prices under the cover of darkness.

He indicated that much as it is undisputed that the eight months of Election Petition had derailed progress and development of the economy, it is sensible and commendable to correct criminal acts, wrong impressions and speculations, irrespective of the cost involved.

The Obuasi Diocese Bishop explained that putting things right was better than to gloss over evil and crown it.

Bishop Ayensu appealed to managers of the economy to retrieve all “retrievable monies,” including the much talked about GYEEDA and Savannah Accelerated Development Agency (SADA) among others. Rev. Bosomtwi-Ayensu also noted that 2016 is not far away and urged all stakeholders to prepare towards clean and Godly elections, and urged the Electoral Commission (EC) to be extra vigilant in the upcoming elections.