By Margaret Jackson
President John Dramani Mahama is well known in Ghana and beyond for not fearing criticism. In fact, he would never act like one of the former Presidents who caused the police to arrest a critic for saying he travels a lot.
President Mahama is credited for being the most hounded Head of State Ghana has ever had. The daily insults, half-truth stories, fictitious stories both big and small that the opposition hurls on him have not broken him, but rather keep him soldering on.
President Mahama has even been criticised by prominent members of his own NDC party including former President Rawlings, Martin Amidu, and Dr Ekow Spio-Garbrah among others, but Ghanaians are yet to hear any negative reactions from him.
Therefore, it is very absurd for someone to say that President Mahama or for that matter the ruling NDC will dole out $100,000, a V8 vehicle and the promise of a Trasacco house in Accra to shut him down from criticising him.
Rev. Prof Emmanuel Martey, the former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana is a known critic of the ruling NDC government. But his constant one-way criticisms and jabs aimed at aiding, the NPP did not translate to enough votes to propel Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to power in the 2012 general Elections.
Nothing that the NDC does appeals to Rev. Prof Martey to the extent that when many Ghanaians were calling on President Mahama to trigger Article 72 to pardon the Montie Trio who were harshly sentenced for making some unguarded comments against some Supreme Court Judges, Rev. Martey found time to come out strongly to state that anybody who vouch for the release of the Montie three is a nation wrecker.
Yet this same man of God was in the country when some NPP supporters doused the former Chairman of the Upper East Region with acid that led to his painful death. Again, Rev Martey was right here in Ghana when NPPs former Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North, Joseph Boakye Danquah was brutally murdered in his house at East Legon, Accra just after he had returned home from work.
Did any Ghanaian ever hear Rev Martey condemn these acts or even tried to sympathise with the families of the deceased? I am yet to hear or read anything in print to that effect.
It looks as if Rev Martey’s microscopic view of events in Ghana is solely tailored on the NDC. To him he sees no wrong in anything that the NPP does. Which is why Rev. Martey made that vain allegation that the NDC attempted to bribe him to keep him from criticising the government?
And I was so sad and held my jaw in shame and sadness when Rev Martey, a man who led the oldest church in Ghana, in his imaginary story during a press conference in Accra further stated that he would have turned his wild dogs on those who attempted to bribe him if he had some. This is coming from a man of God!
Currently, Rev. Martey has left everybody hanging because his so-called bribery story does not add up. Since he was determined to expose those who wanted to bribe him, he should have let it all out. Who are those who attempted to bribe him? When and where did that incident happened? And why would Rev. Martey wait until he had lost his re-election bid as the Moderator of the Presby Church before coming out with this wild unfounded allegation?
Knowing Rev. Martey, and how loud he is, there is no way this man would have kept the lid on such an incident for even five (5) minutes if indeed it ever happened. The whole world would have known about it immediately for him to score some “political” points. So why wait until he was booted out of office by the Presbyters during his re-election bid for him to come out with this wild allegations.
But the allegations by Rev. Martey took a different twist when the former Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Presby Church, Dr Emmanuel Osei Acheampong deflated him by saying that Rev. Martey indeed took the $100,000 and the V8 vehicle bribe not from the NDC but from the NPP.
Dr Acheampong was even able to recall the time that he and Rev Martey met the NPP bribe givers and enumerated the reason behind the bribe, which was why he Dr Acheampong declined to be part. So who in this instance is telling the truth? God indeed is watching our every move, actions, and thoughts; therefore, if Rev. Martey is trying to paint the NDC black, as we get closer to the 2016 polls, he should be mindful that if he were making a false allegation God would surely take note.
At that same press conference, Rev Martey went so low by describing some of his critics in the ruling NDC as “babies with sharp teeth”. He even accused them of not paying taxes, an allegation that can be considered as balderdash.
Which public servant in Ghana does not pay taxes? I feel so sad for Rev. Martey who will go down in history as the only known Presby Moderator who came to office and armed with so much hatred for the ruling NDC government decided to rub the party in the mud at every given turn.
Again, at the same press conference Rev. Martey described the “Montie Three” as demon possessed who needed deliverance. Some men of God have vainly taken Psalm 105:15 “Do not touch my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm” out of contest and therefore have used this passage to insulate themselves from criticisms when they go out of norm.
If you claim to be a man of God, and some people have sinned and are seeking remission, and you claim whomever grants that remission is a nation wrecker, we leave that to God to judge. If you are a man of God, and some people have gone out of line and have been pardoned and you claim they are demon possessed and need to be exorcised we leave that also to God.
But how will we describe a man of God who goes out of his way and beats his wife whenever there is misunderstanding? We leave that also to God.
Writer’s e-mail: magjackson80@yahoo.com
Sign up for Ghana Star News to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.
