Dr Martey’s foray into politics is nothing new; but religion and politics are not exactly bedfellows
Professor Emmanuel Martey, the outgoing moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, and a vocal critic of the ruling National Democratic Party is not one to shy away from controversies.
In fact, he clearly enjoys stirring up controversies and reveling in their subsequent fall outs. It is therefore fair to say with all certainty that Professor Martey has contributed his quota, his ten pesewas, to the current toxic political climate in the country.
This man of God has not endeared himself to many in the government camp with his incessant hammering of the ruling party. He recently came under intense fire from some members of the party for claiming that he is unscrupulously clean and above reproach.
And to back up his widely condemned claim that when it comes to corruption, he is head and shoulder above Ghanaian politicians, he cited his ardent refusal to be bought by a certain political party—he has stubbornly refused to divulge the name of the party—-which offered him an eye-watering sum of 100,000 dollars, a pick up truck and a palatial mansion in one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Accra, Trasacco.
His reasons; he doesn’t discuss personalities, instead, he says he concentrates on the issues of corruption, bribery, malfeasance, and reckless dissipation of public funds. This, in addition to his evangelizing duties; the man, sure, has a lot on his plate.
But that has not slowed him down one bit. He has, lately, been as ferocious in his criticism of the Mahama administration as he was at its inception, never relenting, while seizing the opportunity to weigh in on national issues with a slanted view, albeit partisan.
Though he has deflected accusations that he is overly partisan in his criticism of the ruling NDC, there is no denying the fact that Martey has a political agenda, and that is to deprive the NDC of another term at the helms of the nation’s affairs.
Professor Martey’s foray into politics is not in the least surprising. He is not alone; there have been others before him.
Indeed, there is a cluster, a group of christian preachers who have chosen to dabble in political discourse with the singular purpose of dispensing unsolicited advice to supposedly wayward NDC politicians, and urging them to do what voters put them in office to do; solve their problems.
There is nothing wrong, per se, with clerics joining the chorus of voices in the national conversation on issues of vital importance to the well-being of Ghanaians.
However, clerics acting as surrogates, water carriers for political parties is hugely worrying. It is a dangerous gamble that is being allowed to fester, and left unchecked, could further polarize the country.
There is no pleasure in faulting clerics who take potshots at politicians. Nonetheless, it is essential to emphasize one salient point: religion and politics are dangerous bedfellows, they just don’t mix well at all, which explains why they must be kept as far apart as possible. Clerics should maintain positive neutrality while criticizing politicians to avoid the appearance of partisanship.
