The Speakership And The Catholic Church
The 8th Parliament of the 4th Republic Speakership is owned, dominated, and somehow directed by the members of the Catholic Church or its fraternity.
The Speaker of the House is Rt Hon Alban Sumani Bagbin and his two Deputies ;
Hon Joseph Osei Owusu and Hon Andrews Asiamah first and second respectively are staunch Catholics.
I am a practicing Muslim and I was fortunate to have my secondary education at a Catholic school called St Thomas Aquinas Senior High in Accra.
The school gave me and my other Muslim brothers and non-Catholics excellent education, training and discipline, and today at least we have something doing as professionals in our various endeavors of our lives.
Back to Parliament, it is the citadel of Democracy.
It is the second arm of the state that makes laws for the administration of the country in accordance with the 1992 Constitution. Apart from the Speaker and his Deputies, there are other members of the House or Parliament, who are also Catholics such as the Deputy Majority Leader Afenyo Markin, Hon Dr. Dominic Ayine, Hon John Jinapor, Hon Eugine Antwi, and many others I cannot recount here. I also know many senior and junior staff of the institution who also profess the Catholic doctrine.
I know they used to organize mass events during some days, weeks or months in Parliament.I have seen some Archbishops come and officiate or conducte the mass programmes for the Members and non-members.
Parliament also oversees and monitors the works of the Executive.
It vets and aporoves Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Chief Justice, and Justices of the Supreme Court, the apex court of the land.
The Catholic Church is a dormant Church not only in Ghana but the world.
It sells the gospel of Jesus Christ and builds individuals in the work of God.
The Church is also seen doing a lot in the areas of education, health, humanitarian services, and the provision of socio-infrastructural development in the various catchment areas of its operations.
The governance structure of the Church tells one, how the church is well organized and structured to pursue its task.
Apart from being a product of the church in the area of education and training, I have had numerous opportunities to participate in the church mass events, even though marathon, but it is worth it.The discipline, serenity, and cleanliness of the environment are some of the christlike traits I see and admire about the Church.
It is beautiful to see the telepathy that permeates between the Speaker and his Deputies for the growth of Parliamentary Democracy.
The Catholic Church is doing well in all areas of our human development. The Church abhors discrimination and all forms of biases especially in the field of education.
Their tough principle is the principle of celibacy.How their priests are trained.
It is tough and to me, it is , the strongest and most disciplined training ever.
I don’t have the knowledge to delve deeply into it.
It has produced all the kingpins in Parliament and has many members serving in the Executive and Judiciary arms of the state.
For instance, I know Defence Minister, Hon Dominic Nitiwul, Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, Employment Minister, Hon Ignatius Baffour Awuah, Lands and Natural Resources, Hon Samuel Abu Jinapor, who are members of the Executive who are Catholics.
As a proud Muslim, I believe the Catholic Church is emulating the sterling teachings of Islam of peace, love, unity, and forgiveness.
Speaker Bagbin and his Deputies are role models when it comes to the combination of serving God and adding impetus to our democratic culture.
As a Muslim,I am always grateful to late Father Samuel Kofi Batsa, a former headmaster of my alma mater St Thomas Aquinas Senior High School who admitted numerous Muslim students during his headship at the school and allowed us to practise our faith without any hindrance and my own Professor Kofi Kumado of the faculty of Law, University of Ghana, Legon, who gave me and many others excellent legal education. when I pursued my Master’s Program in Alternative Dispute Resolution at the faculty between 2014 to 2016.
Professor Kofi Kumado an academic colossus is also a staunch Catholic.
I will soon celebrate him.
From where I sit as a Muslim, Catholic Church is a good church amongst the Christian faith.
Ahmed Osumanu Halid
A proud Muslim from Nima-441
About Author
