Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has strongly dissented to views that Ghana needs a National Cathedral as a memorial to God.
The National Cathedral, a promise by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to God for answering his prayers to become President of Ghana, is said not to only serve as a place of worship in honor of God but also a religious museum to boost Ghana's tourism.
Nevertheless, there are mixed feelings over the establishment as while some people are opposed to it, others see it as a brilliant idea.
The opposition argue that the President made the promise on his personal terms, hence they expect him to use his own money to build the Cathedral, otherwise stop it because the nation has no need for it.
But the proponents believe the Cathedral will help in addressing the hardships of the citizenry.
To Kwesi Pratt, it is absolutely irrelevant for the government to build the National Cathedral.
He argues that the monies being invested into establishing Cathedral should be channeled to solve the perennial economic problems confronting Ghanaians.
Mr. Pratt noted that the Cathedral is not a pressing need for Ghanaians and stressed it will do the government good to focus on doing things that will relieve the citizenry of their plight.
"What kind of God in this world or is alive and knows that today, when someone is sick in Ghana and the patient has no money may die, He will say we should use our little money to build a house for him? Then that is not a good God...What God says we should stop investing money in quality healthcare but use it to build a house for Him? Is God human? Does he stay in a house?", he questioned.
To Mr. Pratt, he has no issue if the President will use his own money to build the Cathedral but for him to use monies that belong to taxpayers is an outright misplaced priority.
"Our President, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said he is contesting elections and that he is prayed to his God. He's prayed to his God that, if his God grants him victory, he will establish a cathedral to His glory. It's a agreement between the President and his God. I am not part of this; I wasn't there. I didn't promise the President's God," he said.
"It's the President who has promised his God and if you have promised your God, must you use our money to build for your God?...Will God not answer us if we don't build a cathedral?", he asked.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
Please stop this myogic thinking. Grow up and think extensively before you talk. When and where in this world that there's no challenge by the citizenry.
Mr Pratt go and read the Alabaster perfume story in the Bible...and what the LORD JESUS CHRIST,when they were complaining of why not selling it and give it to the poor.
The NDC regim spared us with the construction of a cathedral, yet the living standards of Ghanaians were not better than under the present NPP-regim with backlashes from the COVID and Ukraine war. God has given our President the wisdom of a visionary leader, and he would rather be ungrateful to God if he failed to make use of it. The President is implementing a lot of policies that will improve the livelihoods of the people of Ghana in the short and long terms. Hence, the question of not-setting the priorities right becomes subjective and relative. I believe the touting of Ghana as being peaceful has not just fallen from heaven, we must maintain it for our coexistance as people with diverse choices. We should consider and contribute to how we can best use the cathedral to promote and foster such virtues, rather than just play it down with populism and cynicism. I pray Kwesi Pratt recovers from his leftist hysteria and makes intellectual suggestions for the best use of the cathedral.
Uncle Kwesi Pratt, in the history of Ghana when did the people of this country said things are good. Even at the tail end of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah's era people were queuing for goods such as sugar, milk, soap and some home consumables. It is a fact which cannot never be disputed. The suffering will continue so far as we have people like you who always want a government that will give them money in order to talk for the good things the government is doing. It is alleged the Landcuiser you are using was given to by the NDC for token and your daughter got scholarship to do her masters overseas by Mills administration. This government will not give you the journalist anything so you can bash her but the good people of this country have seen the goods things NPP government is doing and come 2024 they will still be in power inshallah.
Ei, Kwasi Pratt! you and people like you said similar thing in 2002 when Fmr President Kuffour was building the Jubilee House. Anti-development elements in Ghana like you and people who support you! Your NDC nearly turned the Jubilee House into a place of burial (cemetery)
Kwesi Pratt's stance on national issues as one of the senior journalists in Ghana is very disappointing, sometimes intellectually dishonest and disgusting. It seems he knows his audience and appears to be convinced that he speaks the language they best understand. That unsubstantiated, populistic leftist stance favors the NDC most because of their one-way, baseless propagation politics against the ruling party, the NPP. It is a fact that over 70% of Ghanaians are Christians, and they have been living peacefully with their non-christian counterparts. The Muslims have donated in support of the construction of the cathedral, which I believe will go a long way to fortifying our unity devoid of any religious fanaticism as experienced by some of our neighbouring countries. Any good leader like Akufo-Addo will like to leave a legacy that celebrates and cements this unity beyond his time. Just look at the architectural design of the cathedral and you will agree with me that it's unique from western cathedrals and, above all, culturally Ghanaian. Mind you, it was designed by a world-famous Ghanaian architect of the current generation. And any good leader will make the best use of what he has at his disposal. Do not let us create the impression that the Akufo-Addo administration is only building cathedrals but also undertaking many remarkable social interventional and developmental projects. The construction of the Jubilee House of Ghana, the State House, suffered similar condemnation that it would be turned into a poultry farm. Today, the edifice commands respect and serves its purpose, and no word is lost about that; it's indeed the legacy of Kufour's administration, another NPP-administration to say the least.