Bishop Warns Mills

The Anglican Bishop of Kumasi, Rt. Rev. Dr. Daniel Yinkah Sarfo, has sternly cautioned politicians, especially the NDC administration led by President Atta Mills, to refrain from being political when it comes to the country�s oil find. �No single political party should dare play politics with the oil which God has blessed the country with�, he sternly warned, stating that no single political party should also claim ownership of the oil. According to him, the country has gotten oil in commercial quantities due to fervent prayers by believers, so politicians should take note and treat the expensive commodity as such. The Anglican Bishop admonished government to, without bias, use revenue that will be generated from the sale of the black gold to develop every part of the country to help better the lives of every citizen of the country. Rt. Rev. Dr. Yinkah Sarfo gave the caution on Sunday when the newly-elected Ashanti regional executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), accompanied by other party gurus including the 2008 flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, stormed the church. Decorated with the red, white and blue colours of the NPP, members of the elephant family, including former ministers of state and MPs, were at the St. Paul�s Anglican Church at North Suntreso in large numbers to thank God for the event-free regional polls they enjoyed recently. The Man of God counseled the government not to act in isolation, but rather build consensus with those in opposition so that together they can effectively develop the country. He slammed the current �winner take all� practice of political parties, emphatically stating that no political party could single-handedly lead the country to affluence. Ghanaians, Rt. Rev. Dr. Yinkah Sarfo opined, have a single destiny, so they should put aside their political, religious, and ethnic or any other consideration and instead work in unity to transform the country. He entreated Christians in the country to seek the face of the Almighty God in prayers and fasting, to help the country overcome its numerous quandaries. The historic church service was characterized by dancing and singing of praises to God by jubilant-looking NPP faithful who squeezed into the church�s auditorium. In his succinct remarks, the newly-elected Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Frederick Fredua Antoh, attributed the success of the polls and his landslide victory to God saying �this is why we are here to thank him�. He called for God�s guidance, favour, protection and wisdom during his tenure and urged party faithful in the region to throw their weight behind him as he strives to lead the party to victory in 2012, stressing �with unity we can win the next polls�. Present at the church service were some of the old regional executives of the party who recently lost their positions during the polls. Most noticeable was Robert Yaw Amankwah, who was the regional chairman. Mr. Antoh said the presence of the old executives is a clear indication that the Ashanti regional NPP is united and poised for election 2012, so other regions should emulate their shining example.