Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cape Coast, Most Reverend Gabriel Charles Palmer-Buckle, has criticised Ghanaians for wasting money on funerals while people who are living suffer.
He was of the view that Ghanaians spend too much resources on the dead when such resources can be spent on the living and developmental projects to better the lives of the living.
During the delivery of his sermon at the burial and funeral service of the late former Senior Minister J.H. Mensah, Rev Palmer-Buckle stated: “Please, let us all do well to bury our loved ones within one week or two weeks of the dead. Lying interminably in the mortuary in that cold is not very pleasant for any soul that wants to be up, to go to God”.
He continued: “I believe we are wasting too much time. We are wasting too much money and we are wasting too much resource on burials and funerals in Ghana. Again, I hope I will be permitted to plead with you our dear President and with you our traditional leaders to let us give such good examples for all to follow so that we do not spend undue time and money on funerals and on the dead”.
“Let us spend these treasures of time, resources and money on the living, educating our children and our youth in schools, buying medication and healthcare for our old folks in hospitals and in homes, and for the development of our country for the good of posterity,” he entreated.
Mr Mensah died in the early hours of Thursday, 12 July 2018.
He was a politician and an economist.
He was 89.
Mr Mensah began working as an assistant inspector of taxes in 1953 while the Gold Coast was still under colonial rule.
In 1958, Mr Mensah joined the United Nations Secretariat at the Centre for Development Planning, Projections and Policies, in New York City, United States.
He returned to Ghana in 1961 as the Head of Agency at the National Planning Commission which drew and implemented the country’s Seven-Year Development Plan (1962–1969).
In 1969, he was elected to parliament and became the Finance Minister until 1972, when he was replaced by future head of state Ignatius Kutu Acheampong after the military coup.
In 2005, he was appointed Senior Minister by President J.A Kufuor.
J.H. Mensah, until his death, was a founding member of the governing New Patriotic Party.
Source: Ghana/AccraFMonline
