Methodist Bishop suggests national dialogue for development in unity

The Methodist Bishop of Sunyani, Right Reverend Kofi Asare Dediako on Friday expressed concern about what he described as the acrimonious and apprehensive socio-political situation in the country. He said the political polarization of the country, mainly caused by the two leading political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), �is unhealthy and dangerous�. The Bishop, therefore, suggested the need for a national dialogue on how best to reduce the acrimony and bridge the ever yawning gap between the two parties and formulate policies that would avert a national disaster. Bishop Bediako was speaking at the opening of the 34th Diocesan Annual Synod of the Church on the theme: �Mobilizing Our Collective Resources for Ministry-Fulfilling the Great Commission� at Berekum in the Brong-Ahafo Region. The four-day programme, being attended by 140 delegates from the Diocese, is designed among other aims to assess the church�s impact on the society and chart a way forward for effective evangelization for even greater contribution to attain both the spiritual and physical needs of the people. Delegates attending include the clergy, heads and managers of institutions like the schools and health facilities established by the church as well as representatives of lay groups such as the Methodist Men and Women fellowships. The Bishop said the tension and fear that characterized the nation�s general elections every four years was �another troubling situation, which must engage our attention� because the country existed before the advent of party political parties. He noted that the December general elections in the country usually marred the peaceful celebration of Christmas because they unduly raised the temperature and blood pressure of people, adding �this frightful situation also tends to destabilize the economy�. Bishop Bediako expressed the hope that if the winner takes all arrangement was diffused it would greatly reduce the stakes. He noted that areas that called for critical attention and redress were employment creation, promotions and award of contracts. He said partisan considerations were unduly influencing all manner of appointments at the expense of competency and efficiency and asked: �Is it possible to publish names, addresses and hometowns of all those who will be enlisted into the security, public and civil services every quarter? �Can the list include all who would be awarded government contracts above certain thresholds and all who are promoted to head public institutions including headships of second cycle institutions?� Bishop Bediako recounted the socio-economic strides the Church had made in his 17 months stewardship as Bishop of the Diocese, noting that the Diocese had spent GH�130,000.00 for the provision of educational infrastructure and facilities in the past 15 months. The Bishop presented set of jerseys and footballs to 10 Methodist Junior High Schools in the Diocese to spur them on to maintain their 100 per cent pass performances at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). The Bechem Methodist JHS in the Tano South District and the Kofibadukrom JHS in the Dormaa Municipality were in addition to the jersey and football given a desktop computer and its accessories each.