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It is no doubt that the National cathedral and controversies surrounding it have been the talk of town lately. The Cathedral which is a personal promise of the president to his God has become a burden to the taxpayer. As absolutely unnecessary as the project is, government is still determined to embark on it regardless of what the taxpayer says.
Government’s reasons for the construction of this edifice are nothing but flimsy, and further prove that it is an unnecessary project and a charade to loot the taxpayer’s funds.
The Deputy Finance Minister is on record to have said the Cathedral project is necessary because King Solomon built a temple for God. Although his claim that King Solomon built a temple for God is true, it is a superficial understanding of the biblical times in which King Solomon built the temple.
Records in theology show that King Solomon reigned over an Israel that had self actualized and hence he fought no battles. His predecessor, David, had already fought and won so many battles that King Solomon, during his reign, didn’t need to go to war. There was peace and stability. He therefore built a temple for God. King Solomon whom government seeks to model did not build a temple when Israel was in distress and war. The Akuffo-Addo-led government that claims to be modeling King Solomon are building a Cathedral at a time when Ghanaians are hardest hit by inflation, youth unemployment is at an all-time high and workers are in distress. Indeed, there is a time for everything and the time or stage Ghana currently finds itself in is not one in which we should prioritize building a temple.
In any case, if the government intends building a temple or cathedral , it should at least be built on holiness and piety. Never should a cathedral meant for a holy God be built on the opacity and ungodly acts this government is building our National Cathedral on.
This project is one built on fraud and thievery.
Fraud because Ghanaians have been deceived and swindled by this government. The President made the entire Ghanaian populace believe that it is a personal promise he made to God. The
finance minister added in November 2018 that the Cathedral project will not put undue financial burden on the state. Today, we see the direct opposite of what they told us. Well over 200 million cedis has been released from the state purse to fund the construction of the Cathedral. There can be no bigger fraud than this. The government of the day has single-handedly defrauded the taxpayer of over 200 million cedis to fulfill a promise they made to God.
This project is not only clothed in fraud but also smells of thievery. The funds released from the state purse to cater for the construction of the Cathedral have not been done with the requisite parliamentary approval. Per article 178 of the 1992 constitution, no amount can be withdrawn or released from the state purse (the Consolidated Fund) without the authorization of Parliament. The government, in the release of funds from the state purse for the construction, did not go through parliamentary approval.
Taking without permission or approval from the appropriate quarters is thievery. Even the God for whom this government claims to be building the cathedral frowns on thievery. I doubt He will accept a cathedral built on thievery. It is hence no surprise that some prominent men of God appointed onto the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral have stepped down.
Defrauding the Ghanaian taxpayer in these tough times to build a Cathedral that the president promised to his God is a show of how numb this government has become to the worsening plight of the people. In all their unholy and ungodly schemes to build the National Cathedral, government should bear in mind that our God dwells only in a holy place.
By: SHALOM KENNEDY-ZUMEDOR
kennedyzumedorshalom@gmail.com
