Presby Moderator is a politician in Pastor's clothing - Rev. Adjei Mensah

Source: Daily Graphic Ghana - The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev Prof Emmanuel Martey is more of a politician than a man of God, the General Overseer of High Praise Tabernacle, Rev Dr Adjei Mensah has said.
In an interview with Accra-based Starr FM, he said, “Rev Martey has revealed himself to be a politician more than a Pastor. We’ve seen Moderators; we have seen all the Sintim Misa's and all those people. They were not behaving like this. They speak on national issues, but this man is one-sided. He is always attack [ing] this present government. And I’m speaking the truth, and he knows I’m speaking the truth. He knows his political affiliation that’s why he’s behaving the way he’s behaving,” Rev Adjei Mensah said.

The interview with Starr FM was a reaction to recent accusations leveled by the Presby Moderator against the government to the effect that some politicians were deliberately stoking a nonexistent Christian-Muslim war to divert attention from the worsening power crisis [dumsor].

Prof Martey, who is Chairman of the Christian Council who was delivering a sermon at Grace Presbyterian Church Akyem Old Tafo in the Eastern region at the weekend said he could fix Ghana’s current energy problems in three months if he were the President of Ghana.

He wondered why the Mahama administration has failed to use most of the loans it contracted since it came into office to fix the crisis.

Rev Adjei Mensah, who took strong exception to the “unfair” behaviour of the Moderator said the synod of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana “should call Rev Martey to order because it looks as if his utterance is building a rift between government and the Church.

Listen to Rev Dr Mensah’s interview with Starr FM

"I have listened to him all the time and he can never deliver a message without attacking Government, and it is not fine for Christians.”

“If Rev Martey believes he is a righteous man, he can enter his closet and pray a faith prayer which will change the course of Ghana, but attacking the president, insulting [him] every time [is not fair]. When something happens on the other side, he will keep quiet; when it is government, he will come out vigorously attacking; it’s not fine for a man of God to behave like that.

“…You are saying you can fix this problem in 3 months, how?” he wondered, adding: “If he can fix the problems of Ghana in 3 months, his schools are there: we have dilapidated schools in La, he should come and see Labone Presby primary in the cemetery. We want him to fix Labone Presby primary in a week, if [he can fix the whole of Ghana’s problems in three months]

“He should come to La Presby JHS [and] see the wooden structure AMA put up which has become an immoral hub for prostitutes and other people …this man is becoming something else,” Rev Adjei Mensah observed.

According to him, rather than lashing out at the President and the present government publicly all the time, Rev Martey could meet them privately and let his concerns be known. “… But to come out and attack him is so terrible.”

He said: “I want reporters to come to Labone Presby Primary: teachers sit in dust. You’ll come to school and you see pieces of wee in the classrooms and this man cannot fix this in La and he can fix Ghana’s problems in 3 months? Maybe he is going to pray, if he’s going to pray then I’m with him.”

Rev Dr Adjei Mensah warned that the political and anti-NDC posture of Rev Martey could discourage the Government from funding Presbyterian schools in the country until a “better” Moderator takes over. To him, Rev Martey has proven to be more than a politician, adding: “Even NPP has not announced that they are going to solve ‘dumsor’ in 3 months.”

“Instead of concentrating on his school and churches, he’s rather doing politics. I’ve never heard anything encouraging from this man pertaining to governance,” he said.

Rev Adjei Mensah accused Prof Martey of keeping silent on controversies involving the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) but jumping at the slightest opportunity to hit hard at the Government.

He wondered why Rev Martey, for instance, has refused to make public comments on a recent secret audiotape on which former Finance Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo is heard allegedly making ethnocentric comments, which have been widely condemned as “tribal bigotry.” “We should all be fair,” he said.