Tuesday, November 13, 2012

NDC IS EVIL - Pastor Otabil


Pastor Mensah Otabil

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Accra, Tuesday November 13, 2012.
“That was when I realised I was dealing with a marauding and bullying force that was bent on impugning my name and integrity without shame.

“This is defamatory. This is unethical. This is criminal. This is malicious. This is Machiavellian. This is evil. It is a violation of my person and my integrity.”

Pastor Mensa Anamoah Otabil, General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) yesterday bared his teeth at what he described as attempts by political parties especially some functionaries of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to drag him into partisan politics for their parochial interests.

He was critical of the NDC virtually calling them evil, as he kicked against the use of his voice for political campaign calling on President John Dramani Mahama to call his people to order.

“I kindly called upon the President to rise up and speak on this issue. With all due respect, sir, although you may not be aware of these developments the perpetrators of these blatant acts of impunity are largely affiliates and surrogates of your party,” Pastor Otabil said.

The ICGC general overseer was addressing a news conference in Accra to respond to what he called “Some misrepresentations of my sermon and to hopefully stop the running harassment against my integrity,” after he was alleged to have preached that the free senior high school promised by the opposition NPP would not be feasible.

Since the news broke, Pastor Otabil who is also the founder of Central University College (CUC) has been subjected to a barrage of abuse by a section of the public.

The NDC, which is vehemently opposing the social intervention policy of providing free secondary education, has even gone to the extent of using his voice in their campaign advertisements as they face an uphill task of being re-elected in December.

The visibly incensed man of God said “I have called this press conference to address recent media references that seek to place my sermons and me in a partisan political position.”

He said “When political operatives sample, splice and edit a pastor’s words to mean something other than what was intended, and then go ahead to lift those words from their proper context and place them within a partisan context…that is immoral.”

He said it is mischievous for political operatives to hijack a Pastor’s words, manipulate them to build partisan jingles and play them on party information vans across the country.

“Let me state clearly that the sound bites that have been played with my voice have been taken totally out of context. In some cases, phrases from different messages I have preached over the years with no relation to each other have been mischievously pieced together to create the impression that I was making a current contribution to the on-going political debate,” he said.

Pastor Otabil noted that the use of his voice for political mischief had been going on but what broke the camel’s back was a sound bite he heard last Friday adding “That was when I realised I was dealing with a marauding and bullying force that was bent on impugning my name and integrity without shame.”

“This is defamatory. This is unethical. This is criminal. This is malicious. This is Machiavellian. This is evil. It is a violation of my person and my integrity.

“I can handle it when people disagree with me. I can handle it when people debate the merits of something I have said. I love to debate. I can take criticism. What I cannot take is evil.

“There is a sinister force on the prowl in our nation. It is the force of impunity. It is a force of treachery. It is a force of evil. To keep silent in such a situation is to allow evil to triumph,” he yelled.

Pastor Otabil had a word for people who jump into hasty conclusions when issues come up.

“The apparent observation is the schizophrenic response of the purveyors of this agenda. In one breath they hail me when the dubious sound bite seemed to favour their cause and in the next breath condemn and insulted me when the church came to set the record straight,” he stated.

He said no one has the right to force their thoughts into his words saying “I own my thoughts. I own my words. I own my beliefs.”

Bombarded
He said “I continue to receive reports from all parts of the nation that my voice is being played on various media platforms to support or denounce some political party.”

“Who are these people who are willing to sacrifice the integrity of individuals and societal values in pursuit of their parochial political interests? What will they do next?” he asked.
He feels he has been violated and thinks those behind the tape are doing it with impunity.

“Today it is Mensa Otabil who is being violated; who will it be tomorrow? When does society rise up to speak for a citizen whose rights are being trampled upon with force and impunity?”

“Is it right for political operatives to manipulate any citizen’s words to suit their own interests? Would you consider it fair if you were treated that way? Is it the path we want our country to pursue? Is it how we want our politics to run? Is this the future we want to bequeath to the next generation?”

He called on Ghanaians to demand for what he called “Righteousness, justice and fairness in our national discourse.”

Not Against Free SHS
He said he had never said anywhere that the free senior high school education being promised by some of the political parties is not feasible, adding "I have not commented in any categorical manner on a current political issue."

Asked if he would consider legal action Pastor Otabil said “I have taken it to the highest court of the universe. Actually, I have taken it before God.”

He said so long as he is a Ghanaian, he would always exercise his franchise saying “I will vote on December 7. Even the Electoral Commissioner votes.”

He said his pulpit is not for partisan politics and that explains why anytime political parties leaders visit his church, they acknowledge them without giving them the platform to address the congregation.

“I am a pastor. I am not a politician. I am not standing for any political office. I am not a member of any political party,” he emphasised.

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