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Opinions of Monday, 24 December 2012

Columnist: Nyarko, Stallone

If Pastor Mensah Otabil was a Nigerian man of God.

PAUSE,PERUSE,PONDER;

By Stallone Nyarko.

Dusk is yet to settle on the issues that have arisen after the just ended general elections. The main opposition party, NPP is bracing up for a legal battle with the Electoral commission in the supreme court over what it calls fraud in the results of the election. Interestingly ,some Men of God have waded into the seeming impasse reading Prophetic meanings into what is transpiring in our country today. We readily remember one Prophet Owusu Bempah who has been in the news over the week for prophesying rightly, the aftermath of the just ended election . I am in no position to lay credence or rubbish the claims of Prophet Owusu Bempah. I am however incensed by the way some self styled ‘Senior Journalist’ is trying to rope some dignified men of God into this prophecy brouhaha and try settling some cheap scores he has with them. I was pushed by a story written by Kwesi Pratt in his Insight newspaper with the title ‘NPP pastors (Otabil,Bempah ,others) lick wounds’ which appeared later on Ghana web. See Link (http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=260323) to write this article. I know ‘Senior Journalist’ Kwesi Pratt has never hidden his detest for Pastor Mensah Otabil and other successful Ghanaians. However, to subject the renowned Preacher to such denigration because some other pastors are prophesying about the outcome of elections is most disgusting. Mr. Pratt if unaware, is gradually giving credence to some allusions that he (Mr. Pratt) will do anything to be in the good books of the current President just to survive his source of livelihood. This is not the first time Kwesi Pratt has subjected the leader of the ICGC church and founder of the Central University college to such barrage of insults. We recall how Kwesi Pratt enthusiastically released all his salvos on the innocent Preacher just because he called for his name and sermon to be taken out of a heated political debate on ‘free education’ which was ongoing at the time. Kwesi Pratt in some subtle manner created the impression that it was criminal for Pastor Mensah Otabil to own property just because he was a man of God. He further went on to chastise the renowned preacher for what he claims to be an interference in the political discourse by a man of God. I am surprised at the ease with which we are quick to denigrate Ghanaian men of God for wading into our local politics but see their Nigerian counterparts as some thin gods in the same area. We are in a country where Nigerian Men of God have predicted the Winners of elections in our country but comrade Kwesi Pratt and his incorrigible bunch saw no wrong with that. At a point actions taken at our presidency were strongly influenced by the advice of some Nigeria Pastors but ‘Senior Journalist Pratt’ saw no evil and heard no evil. Would this have been the fate of Pastor Mensah Otabil if he was from Nigeria?

Kwsei pratt can choke on his blood but that would never take away the fact that, Pastor Mensah Otabil remains an illustrious son of our country. How many Ghanaians and churches have been able to establish viable universities to support the ones we have in our country? My little advice for the ‘senior’ Journalist is, he should continue licking the boots of the powers that be which he is very good at since that is the only way to guarantee his children schooling in some of the prestigious universities in the world at the expense of the taxpayer. I would not need to arrogate myself the powers of a soothsayer or spiritualist to tell Mr. Pratt that, he can become minister under his paymasters or even President but he can never assume the level of Pastor Mensah Otabil’s greatness, not even in his next life. I do not belong to the ICGC church and have never met Pastor Mensah Otabil in my life but the grand design to demonize every successful Ghanaian just because they will not do the bidding of some supposed powers is nauseating.

A NATION CALLS FOR DUTY NOW!

Stallone Nyarko.