THE Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Right Reverend Dr Yaw Frimpong-Manso, has appealed to the government to ban all advertisements on alcoholic beverages as it has done with tobacco. According to him the widespread intake of alcoholic beverages in the country did not give any revenue to the government or individuals. "Alcohol has only succeeded immensely in contributing to increase in diseases, immorality and crime in the country, he observed. Rt Rev Frimpong-Manso was preaching at the ordination service for 24 Reverend Ministers of the PCG at the Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Asante Mampong. The moderator bemoaned the alarming rate at which citizens of the nation were consuming alcohol, and attributed the situation to the impact of advertisements. He said advertisements on alcoholic beverages in the mass media had had damaging and luring effects on people, especially the youth. "Such advertisements, come with incomprehensible gimmicks and lead most of the youth into alcoholism, drug abuse, immorality and their attendant consequences," he stressed. Rt Rev Frimpong-Manso said "The earlier we became concerned about this canker and arrested it before it succeeds in destroying our dear nation, the better it would be for us all, he said. The moderator, therefore, urged the public not to be lured and pressured by advertisements to take to drinking alcoholic beverages, because there was nothing to be gained from their intake, but would only give huge revenue to producers. Turning to the pastors being ordained, he reminded them that their calling was not an opportunity for them to hold themselves as tin gods. Rt Rev Frimpong-Manso stressed that preaching the good news about Jesus Christ should be their responsibility and not their achievements. Source : Daily Graphic