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The Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana, Most Rev. Titus Awotwi Pratt, has added his voice to calls for an end to the “winner-takes- all” system of governance as it does not augur well for the smooth running of the country.

Most Rev. Pratt said as a country practising multiparty democracy, it was incumbent on the ruling government to include other Ghanaians, who had the requisite knowledge and expertise but belonged to other parties, in the government.

“Because we have a multiparty system let it be drummed into the ears of all the parties that if you are not in party ‘A’ it doesn’t mean you are an enemy to party ‘B’. And that is why I am against ‘winner takes it all. I don’t think it breathes good breath on the nation,” he stated in an interview last Wednesday with the Daily Graphic.

Rev. Pratt added that “I believe if currently some ministries were handled by persons who were not members of the ruling party, we would be seeing something better.”

Review of voters register

Expressing the concern of his church members on the raging debate on the voters register, he asked: “What is wrong with reopening the register? Is it revising the register or auditing the register? If there is nothing wrong or nothing being hidden, why the noise?

“If there is nothing to be hidden about the voters register, the concern of the Electoral Commissioner, an independent Commissioner and our government should be a situation where everybody is happy.

“So if people are saying let’s look at the register again before the elections next year, there is nothing wrong with that.”

Rev. Pratt commented that he was saddened by the events that unfolded during the recent Let My Vote Count (LMVC) demonstration, saying, “Let everybody’s voice be heard and then as a nation wanting peace and tranquillity, do what will make everybody happy.”

He also described as unfortunate, statements about civil war from highly placed officials of political parties on the airwaves in the discourse on the voters register.

Maintaining the peace

He said to maintain peace in the country, there was the need for all Ghanaians to pray and also take action to ensure that peace prevailed. “So to maintain peace in the country, we must ensure that all the different clans or tribes in the country love, respect and accommodate each other – none is better than the other.”

Rev. Pratt said although some people may be privileged while others were not, that did not mean that one was better than the other. “Let every person feel that he or she is somebody,” said.

Quoting from the Bible, he said prayer without action was no faith.